creative domesticating

I guess I didn’t think much of my recent project, of turning my refrigerator into a kind of art installation, until I walked in my kitchen a few days ago to find my house guest taking pictures of the fridge and emailing them to friends across the country. He said it was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen (I had to wonder if he got out much).

 

I have to admit I was a little embarrassed, probably because apparently this isn’t normal.

But why not turn the fridge into an art installation; aren’t most people kind of embarrassed by what’s in their refrigerator?  So why not thoughtfully arrange everything from the milk to the eggs into an atheistically pleasing way.  The refrigerator is the perfect installation space, an illuminated box. By taking food from its packaging and transferring it to pretty glassware or vintage dishes it is given a place of prominence and is less likely to be pushed into some dark corner and forgotten.  Lining shelves with textiles, hanging hooks to hold cured meats or using baskets to house cheese or fresh produce are all ways to create beauty out of the ordinary.

This exercise is great for rethinking the way we live, creating beautiful spaces that we interact with daily.  The mundane household chores that can inspire provocative art.

 

Art can be found in a gallery or even a kitchen.

Enjoy!

Shannon