Michele Rasore
About This Site

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• On-going
• Al Dente Sans
• Photographic issues II
• User Generated Vocabulary
• Photographic issues

• Projects 2008
• Slices of the Green Belt
• Slices of the Green Belt Prototypes
• Missing Planets Helpline
• Housing (II)

• Projects 2007 and before
• A charming Grade II listed....
• I like rules
• Housing
• La Soif
• The botanical garden
• Crawford, Texas
• A maritime self-portrait
• Jelly Beans tribute
• The enigmatic cycle of Ashes
• Designing is a bit like..
• The spaghetti bridge
• The football pitch
• Anxious self-portrait
• The postcard
• The uninspired cycle (hair)
• The uninspired cycle (nails)
• The uninspired cycle (coffee)
• Food for Thought I
• Food for Thought II
• Happy Easter!
• The Western values

• Recipe of the Month
• Spaghetti with broccoli and ginger (III)
• Red wine risotto (II)
• Scallops au gratin (I)

• Tea time philosophy
• Lost image anyone?
• Contextualisation as Generalisation

Copyright 2007 Michele Rasore.
All rights reserved.
The usual stuff.

Food for Thought is a series aimed at unearthing and analyzing the connections between food packaging, culture and use of language. It is composed by two artworks, each one of them being coupled with a text aimed at explaining the situation and my position about it. Recurring characteristics in both pieces are the use of pencil to underline the words in question, extensive research and above all great spirit of observation. Sometimes, it's from very small details that is easier to see the bigger picture better..... and if food can be defined as a cultural trait of a people's identity, this is as good as it gets in our case....

This first piece was conceived whilst working on a brief from the photo department about love.

I was walking on Kingsway, slightly withdrawn from reality and absorbed in my thoughts, being at least 6 years since I had my last fast food experience. Like a virgin I approach the counter wondering what can I possibly ask for myself. A low profile double cheeseburger seems the easiest option.
They look at me without much enthusiasm, at the end of the day, in a place like this a double cheeseburger it's no choice at all. The floor above is totally empty.
I decide that I'm going for the whole experience and with my cheeseburger I make my way upstairs.
I unwrap the package to find myself slightly disappointed at the sight of what I bought: a rounded piece of greasy meat enclosed in a 9 cm diameter piece of bread. I feel like in one of those moments when I'm ready to understand the essence of things instead of letting it slip through my fingers.
I look at this infamous piece of brown paper which happens to be the bag that contained my burger and read it instead of throwing it away. Most of the times it's just about that, stopping and considering things for what they are. A piece of writing is a piece of writing, therefore it is understood to be read.

The word LOVE is repeated 11 times on this paper bag.

I'm not questioning Burger King's marketing move to oppose McDonald's, I'm questioning the dubious taste of using the word LOVE in connection to greasy, slightly overpriced burgers.
What is love to do with burgers then?
Since when it is morally acceptable to sell double cheeseburgers on the grounds that you love them?
On Mr Johan Von Reybekiel's dissertation there is an extremely interesting piece of writing concerning the meaning of words and how we constantly negotiate their essence.
The prevalent understanding of a word is governed by the majority's understanding of it.
Accordingly to this theory I currently live in a society where it is legitimate to associate my affective life to cholesterol, and I'm not sure I'm ready to agree on this. I'm also not sure that I want to talk about love at all, given the nonchalance with which the word is used.
My LOVE brief was proceeding quite well, I had a very interesting story about mountains, magic mushrooms, dwarfs and something else, till someone spoiled my day doing away with my innocent conception of LOVE.
I need by conscience now, being a person of principles to stop one moment and think about it.
What has LOVE to do, now, with selling burgers?
Is it just about having a highly emotional response?
Cool, in my case it even worked too well.

I ALWAYS IMAGINED LOVE AS SOMETHING MORE THAN CHEESEBURGERS

they will never have me again.