Food Chain: A conversation between photographers
- PhotoED Magazine
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
We invited our patrons to participate in a creative conversation through images. Each photographer participant was sent a single image with no information about it, and asked to respond with the next link in the chain, an image of their own that spoke to what they had received. Here is where our contributors took this story…
The inspiration for this image is Stephen Leacock’s short story “The New Food.” A large family is gathered around the Christmas table for dinner. 13 plates of food have been condensed into one pill. While the father is giving thanks, the baby of the family grabs the pill and eats it.
One of the first presentations of a meal in a pill idea was at the Chicago World Fair in 1893. People from different fields were asked what they thought life would be like in 1993. American suffragette Mary Elizabeth Lease predicted that we would be eating synthetic foods in a pill form, so women could get away from the kitchen.
This image was captured around Thanksgiving, the timing of which gave me the play on words to title the piece. When I see things like these empty BBQ tanks in a dumpsite, I can’t help but consider the our North American waste habits, unnecessary landfill, and how many people do not get a Thanksgiving meal due to food scarcity.
A play on the seasonal theme, colours and repetition of round shapes.
A Graflex SuperGraphic 4x5 shot direct to fibre photo paper, scanned and inverted.
My initial reaction to the photo I received was to think of something tastier than Brussel sprouts! (I'm not a fan of them at all). My thoughts lead me to consider the process of growing foods, and seeds. I picked milk weed seed heads thinking about how they provide sustenance for monarch butterflies. Many people still pull the plant thinking it's a weed, but it's an edible food for a vital part of our ecosystem.
Food can range from fine art all the way to crass commercialism. This photo falls firmly at the latter. This five metre statue of a Cheeto, placed in a quiet hamlet in Southern Alberta is a marketing ploy. It seems to have worked, there’s been media coverage beyond Canada’s borders and a steady stream of visitors drive out to get their photo of, or with the sculpture.
Playing on the idea of food sculptures, I photographed a fruit bowl that I made 30 years ago, in grade 10. I still have it and love it even though it's been cracked a couple times from various moves it has gone through.
My image also has a ceramic component, a jug and part of a vintage faux fruit plate, in addition to three pears. I was drawn to the similarity of the dark backgrounds which are reminiscent of the style of 17th century Dutch still lifes which I love.
The strong golds and yellow colours in the image I was provided, reminded me of a photo I took at sunrise of a hay bale. I learned recently through the Ontario Farmland Trust, that we lose 319 acres of farmland a DAY in Ontario. To me this is insane and has to stop. The food cycle begins with farmers. No farmers, no food. Farmers feed cities.
Hay is integral to sustaining cattle and horses.
This copy of The Joy of Cooking was my mother’s go-to resource from the 1970s. Like the presented image of food being dispensed to farm animals this volume dispensed the knowledge to feed herself, husband, and five kids, at the same time studying to become a chartered accountant. I was fortunate to collect this beloved book from her estate and have worked on documenting each page where there is evidence of her hand.
For me, the real joy in cooking is eating and sharing the comfort foods made by loved ones, like, my Dad's Superbowl Seville Orange Marmalade. This image was inspired by Mary Pratt's work, and my intention is to convey the pleasure found in food made by and for our loved ones.
The mason jars, wood texture and bright warm hues called to mind a field-to-table approach to our relationship with food. My mind went to a photo I took of the activity at the community focused Kitchener Market.
Luxury foods appeal to our hedonistic sides but they are also important in the social interactions of those who can afford them. Who doesn’t like to stop in at cafés like to gawk through the windows at the wonderful creations and to share them with friends along with coffee and conversation?
In the image I received, we appear to be looking at a high end bakery on a busy street, likely in a metropolitan city. The baker appears detached, her mood unknowable, and the reflections in the window of the people passing by give us a clear view of the outdoor world and the indoor world overlapping, yet, feeling very separate.
My image, taken though the window of a small, rustic restaurant in Yellowknife shows a woman in what appears to be communion with the bread she in kneading. It feels like a very personal and intimate moment. Although also taken through a window with elements of the outside reflected, they barely register and become ambiguous, rather than being equally balanced as was the case in the other image.
My first instinct when seeing this photo was to respond in kind. But seeing another artisanal baker preparing loaves through a window wouldn't be much of a conversation. Instead I chose this image to complement and play off the first. I imagine both pictures could have been taken on the same street. The coffee shop is locally owned, these windows also reflect trees and the immediate environment, but now the action is playful.
For me, there is always a spot for sweets with a cup of coffee. I enjoy having nowhere to rush and taking my time savouring treats.
Photography is the sweet food that feeds my soul.
When I saw the photo I was sent, it made me think of the Lady and the Tramp scene when the dogs are eating spaghetti in the moonlight. My response was to create a scene of my own.
After the bedtime story, the mice snuggled to sleep. And now I get to have a late night snack too!
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