There is something inherently uncomfortable about seeing sharp objects pierced through tender and soft spaces. To me, these photos feel abject. The tones of the paper bag and the softness of the bed and leaves remind me of skin. The act of piercing these objects feels unsettling to the viewer, and carries an aura of violence.
The chapter on Taste discusses the taboos of cannibalism. Ackerman writes, "The idea of cannibalism is so far from our ordinary lives that we can safely use the euphemism eat in a sexual context, say, and no one will think we mean literally consume" (p. 136). For this piece, "Maneater", I thought it could be a little comical to have a woman literally eating a man. The original photo was from a 1950's article on how to "eat spaghetti like a lady", so I hope she is eating this man as ladylike as possible.
Dinner Party
Ackerman notes, "Humans rarely choose to dine in solitude" (p 128). In this video I make an extremely elaborate meal. It took over two hours to prepare all of the sides, bread, and entreé. In the end, however, I'm the only one at the table. More often than not, I will eat alone. It can be lonely, but creating a fancier-than-necessary meal for myself is almost meditative. When I cook alone I do it as an act of love to myself, especially after a rough day.
This video was inspired by this statement from Diane Ackerman: "Setting out on a kiss caravan of the other's body, we map the new terrain with our fingertips and lips, pausing at the oasis of the nipple, the hillock of the thigh, the backbone's meandering riverbed" (A Natural History of the Senses p.109). Touch is intimacy. Skin-on-skin connection can tell your partner what words can't. Sometimes the memory of another person comes flooding in as a montage of intimate moments.
Song: The Swan by Yo-Yo Ma
First Kiss
"We kissed timelessly, because lovers throughout the ages knew our longing"
(Ackerman, A Natural History of the Senses p.109)
This short video is reminiscent of the excitement of a first kiss. It's almost cliché to use the term "feeling sparks", but there is something about the nerve-wracking anxiety and excitement that make you feel fireworks when with your partner.
