Globalisation: The Image-World

Walls of glass protect the shining surfaces of commodities on the main street in Kunming. Lit from above and wiped clean of the sweat of labour, the metallic skins of designer watches, digital video cameras and the soft curves of perfume bottles are suggestively posed on velvet cloth or propped up on display stands for maximum exposure. The English labels and posters of blonde European women add further layers of fantasy to the objects. It all seems so far away. His eyes are drawn to the sparkling surfaces and he takes a step closer until his nose touches the glass. He doesn’t notice the security camera hidden in the glare of the overhead lights. It all seems so close. Then the security guard steps from beside the door and with a firm hand on his shoulder directs him away from the glass wall. As he looks back over his shoulder he sees the security guard wiping the glass with a cloth where his nose left a tiny round mark.