Monday, April 8, 2013

Reddi Made

"Reddi-Made", ©2013
Shea Love

Instant...Enriched...Moist....Real....Original...Reddi Made...Pre-Sliced...Natural...60% Less Fat...Naturally Sweetened..."Cold Fashioned For Freshness"...Prepared...

These are all words founds on the packaging of foods in our corner store. They do exactly what Baudrillard says in Simulations: they mask the absence of a basic reality; and now...many of them bear no relationship to any reality at all. (pg. 11) Words like natural work to conceal the fact that these foods are NOT natural.

Why pre-slice an apple?
Do you need the word "moist" on the cake mix to conceal the fact that it's not actually moist? And why must we use "real" on packaging?


"Sealed For Freshness", ©2013
Shea Love

"Super Moist", ©2013
Shea Love

This is the way we must pick out our groceries. Which box of cereal looks more convincing in it's language? They ALL drip with words like "natural," and "whole grain" so now we must ask ourselves...which box looks more natural. Does that picture of cheerios really look like they used whole grains? These images, and more generally the packaging which companies use is now more real to us that the food that comes inside. And the food that comes inside is more real than the food that comes from the earth. We are fed by Aisle 6, and the grocers who check us out at Aldi's, not from self-planted carrots and homemade bread. Milk comes from a plastic container in the refrigerated section, not the goat or cow a few miles away. I am eating the cake ON the box...not in it. 


"Empty," ©2013
Shea Love
"Lunch Combo", ©2013
Shea Love

Welcome to the Lunchables kids site. Enjoy!
Welcome to the Reddi Wip site!

Here is my set of photos in response to our cultures focus on and perversion of food. 

1 comment:

  1. There is a a very strong, cohesive aesthetic throughout this body of work. Your images that depict space are especially intriguing. They simultaneously provide and obscure the setting for these strange, packaged food products.

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