Sugar Coated

In a world where populations feast on food, fashion and status, wealth has become a commodity that costs more than the planet can afford.  The term ‘Climate Emergency’ describes the effects of climate change, however societies do not want to sacrifice their lifestyles to address the predicament. We live in a world where we are sold lifestyles through visually appealing imagery that is constructed to condition viewers to adopt a particular ethos and mantra. As a result we consume more than we need to and waste even more, as a result. As a consumer, the topic is complicated and difficult to navigate. Luckily, public figures are beginning to use their platforms to address this and create conversations that are becoming more mainstream within popular culture. Lily Cole discusses in her book ‘Who Cares Wins’:

“ The problem is complex, and the solutions often contradictory. One day bio-fuels are heralded as our saviour: another day they are driving deforestation in Indonesia. Some say we should stop eating all meat; others say a small amount of holistic animal agriculture is part of the solution. The aeroplane is the poster child of destruction; yet few people know it is often more energy efficient to fly than drive solo. It’s hard to know which plastics are recyclable, harder still to know their afterlife when we put them in green bins.”

My own work, ‘Sugar Coated’ directly addresses consumer waste and starts to explore the notion that anything can attract attention and be presented to appeal to the senses, regardless of the subject matter. Waste items are literally coated in icing sugar to create visual contradiction. As a society, we are so used to being influenced by trends and visual rhetoric, that if something looks good we buy into it. Sugar Coated is devised to encourage viewers to interrogate what they are looking at and negotiate a reading with the image. The language of advertising is a powerful tool that enables products to be sold. It is for this reason that my own work is designed to use this language to continue emerging conversations that will raise awareness about a relevant topics, in a manner that is striking and easy to digest. 

Eat like a Woman

The topic of consumption is vast and the items consumed are extensive. Whether we consume products, clothing, food or ideologies, the way that we consume has an affect on the environment and social conventions. Women in particular are often directed to eat particular foods and are forbidden others, in order to maintain a socially desirable appearance, that is represented through advertising. This messaging is often contradictory and is contributing to unnecessary waste. In my own experiments, ‘Eat like a women’ explores the relationship between the tools that women often use to enhance appearance and items of food that represent femininity. By doing this, the aim is to investigate the connections that exist between subject matter, audiences and the way that both interact with one another. As Susan bright expresses in her own writing for ‘Feast for the Eyes’:

“Food both fuels and shapes our physical bodies from the inside, as well as being an outward expression of our pleasures and principles.”

Hard to Swallow

Hard to Swallow is a project of mine that explores themes that exist within capitalist culture. The photographic images present excessive material consumption by using the visual constructs of food to portray themes such as beauty and desirability. These traits are presented in a digestible, abstract form to represent how material ideologies create vigorous consumer cycles. In addition, the body of work uses colour, light and texture to explore how the presentation of beauty products and food interact with one another to create an appealing seductive spectacle.

Using the language of advertising, the images explore traits of neoliberalism that exist within consumer culture. As we evolve and become more aware of our personal effect on the planet, we often fail to address the social constructs that contribute towards the effects. This is highlighted within the work by portraying contradictory messages that are presented within advertising and female lifestyle magazines. Using the female gaze, the images comment on beauty, excess, instant gratification and waste, while conveying promoted lifestyles that are saturated with sensory excess. As a result, the work investigates tension between attraction and repulsion to create an awareness that is relevant and empowering for audiences.