Christine Conway
Food, Self, and Society, World Views, 345-102-MQ

This is in no way a statement piece aiming to attack you for your behaviour. Instead, this is simply an opportunity for you to think about the “why” of your behaviour and to be aware of it. The project looks at the feeling we get when either experiencing or witnessing someone going against food norms. The sort of immediate shock or disgust, or even discomfort that we feel when we feel something is “wrong”.

In regards to the film itself, I chose to make the film’s audio a classical song to add to the uneasiness of it and chose to make it go by slowly to let the viewer reflect on everything that was happening. Right away, when the film starts, the screen is black and the music begins, letting the viewer feel something before even seeing anything. I’ve noticed the viewers will be like “oh I get it” during the first few seconds of the ice cream part, and then as the video keeps going slowly, the viewer begins to think “wait, this is kind of weird to think about.”

Using black screens in between each food sequence helps to structure the video but also gives space to let thoughts sink in deeper. The black screen also reflects the viewer’s face in the screen, so it pushes  self-reflection even more in an almost awkward encounter with your own face in the screen.

The soup scene is the most shocking part for most viewers. It’s where people will understand the concept fully and often laugh at their own initial reaction. I made sure to make this film as subtle but as dramatic as I could. I darkened the shadows and made is as impersonal as possible, not showing anyone’s face. I wanted it to feel almost intimate for the viewer to let themselves feel whatever they felt as they watch.