Lizbeth’s breakfast buffet is an installation that highlights my On the Go experience with eating breakfast. Food I ate On the Go (left side): Tamales (Tiny tamales inside the tamale cart), Classic “It’s our pleasure to serve you” NYC cup, Chobani (Berry Flavored) Yogurt-Drink, Starbucks Everything Bagel, Milk and cereal flakes, and a plate of nothing. Toward the end of the food you have Pancake stacks, bacon, fried eggs, BLT sandwich (bacon lettuce and tomato) with eggs and all food items are placed over a handmade checkered table cloth
I chose to record my breakfast over the course of a few weeks since eating is a daily habit. My breakfast became the main focal point of the project because of my long commute to school. I have to leave my home 2 hours before my 10am class to be on time. As a result of my transportation circumstances, I am often very rushed and unable to make or buy breakfast. Recording my breakfast on my commuting days is interesting and funny just because of how random and rushed my breakfast can get on these days. Food is fundamental to me, but this commute is also a big part of my identity now as it decides what I can or cannot eat or how I can eat. As you go on to the end of the buffet, I wanted to contrast this rushed breakfast look and add food that is more “polished” and plated pretty to represent the opposite of my rushed commuting days.
The buffet had a pretty big evolution. The initial idea was just a regular cooking book inspired by bullet journaling. However, I was pushed a step further into thinking about how I can present this idea of foods I eat in an installation instead of a physical diary book. With this thought in mind I landed on a buffet that illustrated my breakfast during my commuting days VS my non commuting days. I sketched out all the foods that I recorded from the days I was on the go and the days I had time to properly eat.
Plating was important because it gives away which foods are rushed and which foods are eaten with time. The rushed items were presented in the same way that I ate them
- The tamale truck served as a container to hold several other tamales inside and my diary entry. It also gave the viewer a look into how I ate the tamale. Tamales are sold by local vendors, which indicates that I bought this tamale outside, typical NYC rushed sidewalk food. For plating the individual tamale I thought about how I actually ate the item. I ate it over the foil it came in which was over the black bag it was packed with. I used those recycled items and placed a fork inside the foil so it can have a suspended in air look to represent me eating it.
- The yogurt bottles are strategically collapsed with spills and opened bottle cap to give a messy effect
- The bagel was strategically placed over its starbucks paper bag
- Milk and cereal was displayed as a spill with flake residue
- And for the days I ate nothing there was an empty plate with my diary entry
- Diary entries were included subtly somewhere on the items
To contrast the rushed food I plated all other food items on fancy plates, a cake stand and handmade basket, with complementary flowers.
Almost all items were hand molded with water, or painted.
Tamale Cart Materials: Watercolor paper, recycled items (cardboard, plastic), holographic box, cotton swabs, printed metro north tickets and foil. The miniature NYC cup stack is made out of construction paper, toilet paper, and acrylic paint.
Individual Tamale: Dryer sheet, Toilet paper, Dental Floss, Acrylic paint
Classic NYC cup: Toilet paper, foil and acrylic paint
Chobani Bottle with spill: The bottle and the spill is completely made out of clay. The label is hand drawn
Chobani Bottle with loose cap: The bottle cap is clay, the bottle is made out of foil and toilet paper, the ring is recycled from another bottle. Hand drawn label
Chobani with visible diary entry: Hand drawn label on a recycled bottle
Starbucks paper bag: Printing paper, green oil pastel, watercolors and glue
Everything bagel: Paper Mache and acrylic paint
Milk and cereal: Recycled milk carton, acrylic paint, toilet paper and glue for the flakes, recycled spoon, plastic
Fried eggs and Bacon: watercolors and toilet paper
Pancake stacks: Clay and acrylic paint
Sandwiches and basket: Tissue paper, printing/construction paper, crayons, markers, cardboard, cotton
Flowers: Tissue paper
TableCloth: Red and white acrylic paint, ruler and paper
I am very proud of my installation, this is my first time ever taking my art with such severity, and it was a great experience. I am very grateful for the opportunity; it was a lovely introduction to art. From my initial piece in this class, “Painting Clarity,” I wanted to transmit an optimistic worldview, and it seems I have found “my thing” when it comes to art. I was so happy that the breakfast buffet transmitted so much joy to everyone who saw it; there was joy, connection, and more. This experience gave me the confidence to see myself possibly pursuing something with art. It was so rewarding to see how happy my piece made them, so delighted that it was difficult to part from the items. The process was also lovely; I felt like a kid again, and in a way, it gave me quality time with my loved ones as I showed them my piece with pride.
