Objectives:
-Examine methods for evaluating qualities of art, such as product versus process, the difference between craft and fine art, must art be archival, and what is an aesthetic reaction.
-Explore the notion of food as an artform.
-Consider cultural differences in the production and consumption food.
I decided to explore the recent obsession with food photography. All over social media people post images of their own meals, as well as share photos meals they have seen online. Sometimes the full progression that leads up to the end product is posted. Scrolling through endless photos of sandwiches, casseroles’, different macaroni and cheese creations and chocolate extravaganzas is a true experience and rollercoaster of senses. People have started referring to food images as “food porn”. I found a twitter account with this name and started scrolling through the images, comments and taglines. Many of the images posted were decadent looking desserts that instantly had my mouth watering for a bit . . . or the whole thing. The Picture on the profile is an image of a high stack of pancakes smothered in chocolate, the background or ‘cover photo’ is of a dozen chocolate chip cookies. Simply saying what these pictures are does not give you the full effect.
The foodporn images all have something in common; they are so carefully pictured, capturing the absolute best sensory experience without actually tasting, smelling or touching the food at all. The chunks in the cookies are glistening giving them the warm melted look of being fresh out of the oven. A picture of a bowl of macaroni and cheese has a fork full of the perfect creamy bite, steam swirling up. I can smell and taste these as a look at them. Not only can you see the depth of their deliciousness but also their presentation is one that could not be replicated. This is one of the aspects a piece of art has as well, it is so beautiful or so complex that you know there could not be another like it, you are captivated by the piece and desire it. These images have a similar effect to looking at a still life painting of a bowl of fruit, the shadowing and glossiness creates a real pleasure feeling to your senses. This is what art does for us, creates real sensory experiences, something that is visually pleasing like a picture of a sunset or a stained glass window with light shining through satisfies certain senses and makes us feel happy or content. Food creations and food images can have this same effect only affecting a different sense, first our vision or maybe our sense of smell. Food can be and should be aesthetically pleasing, otherwise who would want to eat it?
In these weeks reading Food as Art by Elisabeth Telfer states the definition of art as something that is man made. Most food is in some way man made but not all should be considered art. She late explains how not every food was created to be seen as a work of art, however there of course are many that are created for that exact purpose while intended to be consumed. After looking through many pictures of food that had been so carefully arranges and presented I wonder how many of those amazing looking dishes were eaten? Or did they only serve the purpose of a piece of art? Something to be admired and jump -start our senses. Telfer later goes on to bring up an interesting point, using a quote from The Good Food Guide Dinner Part Book she speaks to the fact that a chef might hope the people eating their food realizes a symphony of flavors and the intentions for the meal. Hoping they recognize the individual ingredients and appreciates their mix of flavor as well as the process was used in preparing the meal. After reading this I understood that people who are not educated on the art of cooking would not appreciate this type of cuisine. This is similar to fine art, with an uneducated eye it does not have any meaning to you, there is no depth or appreciation for the piece. I feel that in thus case food cannot be art if it is not fully understood or appreciated. Also just like art, people are aesthetically attracted to different images or different foods. Someone may salivate at the sight or smell of asiago chees while others may be disgusted of uninterested. This is the same with a traditional piece of art.
As for the social media obsession of food porn and food photography, in many peoples eyes this is art, it is a man made image or meal that has been presented in a way that influences and simulates the senses in the same way a powerful painting of sculpture can, you may not have the desire to take a bite of that painting it is something of unique beauty that pleases your sense unlike something visually dull or uninteresting. I feel people value the product with this type of are, food as an art form in this particular sense is something to show off, a delicious looking desert or an incredible sandwich.
Reflection:
I chose to use this pice in my portfolio because it shows how we view food as an art form today in modern society, through technology we have created a whole new arena for food as art. This piece explores this notion because people have begun to use their everyday food as a social media outlet to represent something that is seemingly normal as beautiful or coveted. This that this is specific to our culture of social media and the obsession to post and share everything. However we want to make it look great, our food has become something to be fawned over, at least the picture we share of it.
Future:
From this section of the class I have found myself more questioning of the process of food and how it is prepared, why chefs decide to create the image they do on the plate. Even in my own cooking I want to create something beautiful to consume. I will now see food for more than just fuel, but instead a product of an artist.
This is more than just a meal, I want to frame this it looks so beautiful. the colors are so rich just like the flavor.
Sources
@itsfodporn Twitter site
Tefler, E. (2002). Food as Art. In Neill, A. & Riley, A. (eds.) Arguing About Art: Contemporary Philosophical Debates (2nd ed., Chap. 2). New York, NY: Routledge.