This was the first artwork I created in the context of an art class, where I had to create in response to a prompt.
The guidelines were simple; we were tasked with creating a monument. Not knowing where to start, I turned to one of my main interests: food. I decided to create a monument to honor a part of my identity which is my love of food and cooking, as well as my French and Turkish origins. I wanted to show the complexity of food and how it is more than just sustenance; it is inevitably tied to culture and heritage.
The shapes of each individual piece were determined by taking inspiration from traditional French patisseries (pastries) and middle eastern sweets, like those found in street markets. I used polystyrene and play dough to construct the miniature sculptures which I then painted and mounted onto a wire structure resembling a tree, itself placed on a small block of MDF. The shape of the tree was inspired by native trees found in the Middle East, specifically the Argan tree. I took inspiration from nature to determine the shape of the monument because I am fascinated by nature’s inherent beauty and its ability to connect humans. Both nature and food are recurring themes in my work. The construction of the tree with wire and an MDF base was inspired by Yves Klein who created many sculptures depicting trees using a rock-like base and wire, as well.
Below are sketches of the scultpure.
