"Surya Namaskar", 2023, 500-gram meteorological balloon, muslin bag, fan, and sensor, 95 x 140 x 90 cm
TTT2023 TABOO - TRANSGRESSION - TRANSCENDENCE in Art & Science
Malta ArtShow Malta Society of Arts, Valetta, Malta Sept 26-29, 2023 For TTT2023 Malta exhibition we borrow the terms "raw," "cooked," and "rotten" and the concept of the culinary triangle introduced by Lévi-Strauss, to highlight the interplay between nature and culture, the transformative power of cooking, and the importance of food safety and preservation. Symbolizing the untouched, untransformed essence of ingredients, often associated with concepts such as purity, authenticity, and naturalness, the raw can be seen as an opposition to cultural intervention, reflecting a direct link to the environment and the source of sustenance. On the other hand, representing the knowledge, skills, and creativity involved in culinary practices, the cooked highlights the social and symbolic significance of cooking, including the sharing of meals, culinary traditions, and the expression of cultural identity. And finally, the breaking down of cultural and social boundaries regarding acceptable food, the rotten, what has undergone decay, decomposition, or spoilage, signifies the loss of desirable culinary qualities and edibility and becomes associated with themes of danger and contamination. Through the artworks gathered for TTT2023 Malta artshow under the title RawCookedRotten we invite you to explore the dimensions of food and reflect as well on the complex meanings and relationships between Eating and Beingeaten. Eating involves cultural practices, culinary techniques, and social rituals surrounding food preparation, sharing meals, and the enjoyment of flavors and textures. In contrast, "being eaten" refers to the passive role of an entity being consumed by another. In the context of food, this typically involves animals or plants being hunted, raised, or cultivated for the purpose of being consumed by humans or other organisms, usually for sustenance or survival. Different cultures have specific taboos, rituals, and symbolic interpretations regarding eating and being eaten, such as the spiritual or transformative aspects of consumption, reflecting their values, beliefs, and social structures.
"Surya Namaskar", 2023, 500-gram meteorological balloon, muslin bag, fan, and sensor, 95 x 140 x 90 cm
The work is conceived as part of the bigger project, Being Human: Seeing Ourselves, which includes wall-mounted drawings, watercolours, drawing machines, and inflatables such as "Surya Namaskar". The works stem from ideas around metabolism, sunlight, sleep, and vitamin D and represent a journey set up by Carnie as a way of creatively thinking through making around the topic, where ideas are spawned from interactions of the various processes in hand.
In this work, a laser cut stencil and the image produced by its use on the muslin cover is set to represent a drift from wakefulness and breathing, into sleep, when the work falls silent and deflates, becoming still.
The piece looks like a golden orb, at times reflecting sunlight, the element that plays such an important part in a healthy life. Sunlight being the trigger for the process of sleep, whereby the gut microbiome creates vitamin D, thus playing a part in the brain's signalling pathways and inducing sleep.
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