They fly their pasta through the air on a fork. They make tunnels from a large bite in their sandwich. Small index fingers glide along the porcelain to make patterns in the sauce. They squish blueberries between thumb and index. The oil marinade has become rancid. The smoke from the BBQ lingers on the skin of the fish. The freshness of the fruit is interrupted by excessive sweetness. Cut from the mother plant, basil leaves droop, the stem wilts over the glass of water. A forgotten celery stalk limps with depression. Cutting through fresh watermelon sounds like the cracking of bones.

I take inspiration from the ways my children see and play with their food. Unfinished plates left on the dinner table, half cleaned spills, the cutting board revealing the process of supper preparation and the counter mauled with produce and condiments also add to my creative output.   

Being at home with two children, a routine around eating has become our new outline of the ways in which the day unfolds. Quarantine has forced us to. Preparing meals and snacks, cleaning the kitchen, putting away food, are perpetual tasks. Quarantine domesticity is more demanding than regular domesticity. There are no options – I can’t run away from monotony.

Re-shaping half-eaten food, transforming limp, soft, wrinkled produce or installing inedible pieces, through my work, I attempt to highlight food usage and waste. The construction of the image grows from what flows out of the fridge, from what is neglected to be put away. It also builds from the notions of how privileged countries overlook the accessibility and abundance of food we take stock. Covid-19 has unearthed our inefficiencies and inadequacies of consumerism. Could this time in isolation put into question our dietary trends and consumption habits? Can we look forward to a viable future that demands sustainability?

Endlessly More was funded by The Koffler Center of the Arts for their digital exhibition A Matter of Taste. Many thanks to The Koffler Center of the Arts for this opportunity. Exhibit can be viewed here