For the final project, I wanted to try to make something that was a bit more odd. My previous projects had focused on monsters, more so the gothic and less so the postmodern. So I decided to take on the postmodern idea that we have replaced all reality and meaning with symbols and signs. And I thought about what ultimately defines our reality. And I thought about how life should, in fact, ultimately define reality, because if there is no life, there's no one there to define it. Kind of a whole "tree falls in a forest" sort of situation. So, I decided to focus on food. Food, as a symbol of our reality, gives life. If you do not eat, you die. If you die, then the reality we have defined is over, for you.
So, I made symbols of this reality. I made cookies. Cookies which I distributed to all those in attendence. I made a video which I felt was just absolutely absurd, and I spoke rapidly about the ideas contained in the paragraph above, whilst distributing the cookies. Below is a part of the presentation:
and here is a cookie recipe if you would like to bake your own symbols of reality at home:
3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
3/4 packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 egg yolks, 1 egg
2 1/4 cups unsifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 bag of chocolate chips
(in this project, I used chocolate/peanut butter chips)
preheat oven to 375 degrees Farenheit
cream first 4 ingredients in a large bowl until light and fluffy. add eggs. beat well.
combine flour, baking soda, and salt. gradually add to creamed mixture. beat well. stir in chips. make small balls with the dough, and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. bake 10-12 or more minutes, until lightly browned. cool slightly. remove from cookie sheet. cool completely on plate or rack.