Photograph of mixed media collage
I created this piece during a week-long course at an art and design School in Paris named Penninghen (ESAG). The focus of this “internship” was to expose the students to the various steps of the creative process, and have them explore it themselves. We were tasked with choosing one small, simple object - a pair of scissors, a spoon, keys - that would become the base of our idea. Once we had our object, we had to execute a word map - or lexical field if you will - of all the words that came to mind when observing and examining the object. We had to jot anything relating to and reminiscent of it, whether it was in relation to its shape, color, and material, or its meaning, name, or symbolism. From there, we began to home in on specific themes and ideas that spoke to us more evidently than others. They would become the foundation of the project we would later bring to life.
My object was a miniature version of a rolling pin. I had chosen it because of my fondness of all things small and my passion for cooking and baking. As I began to brainstorm ideas, I first ventured into the world of “patisserie”, with, in mind, to elaborate on the aspect of baking as a labor of love. Then, I thought of what the object represented : homemade, comfort, organic, simplicity. I even considered the idea of nature and imperfection - due to way the wood produced undulating lines along the grain. Finally, I decided to focus on the world of fashion, because the shape of the pin was reminiscent of models used in fashion houses to display the clothes. There was also an intriguing contrast between the linearity of the rolling pin - that perhaps echoed the thinness typically associated to haute couture fashion models - and the curviness expected of a woman’s body.
I worked closely with one of the teachers during the course, who helped me decide on the manner by which we were going to present the final image. Inspired by fashion sketches and templates, we determined I would replicate that type of presentation using the pin itself, and adding simple elements - like the piece of string with pins, the cutout of fabric, and the golden button - to indicate the details of the design. The theme of baking transpires through the pink color palette, which is suggestive of some pastries, like the rhubarb tart I selected. The resulting image is simple and clear, yet somewhat playful, thanks to the allusion to the desert in the title and the striking background of pink.
