My project centers around exploring the reactions of the human body while trying a variety of new foods. My work is a collection of me, who is a very picky eater, documenting my attempts to try new foods. The videos captured are from similar angles, in different locations, enough to show my set which involves the food, a spit buckled, and my water bottle. The videos are collectively put together in a grid to emphasize the intensity of the experience.

To execute my project, my approach consisted of researching the reasons for becoming a picky eater. Some results involve a late introduction to new foods, early difficulties feeding, and early choosiness leading to eating the same meal over and over. From my experience, it’s also mentality. My videos consisted of me trying 12 foods including grilled cheese, mozzarella sticks, chips, jalapeno poppers, pickles, tomato soup, potato salad, sushi, seaweed, fried mushrooms, loaded fries, and mac and cheese. I wanted to document how my body reacts physically and mentally to the thought and act of trying new foods. I pushed my body to its limitations while trying these new foods.

My method involves trying each food twice in different locations. My setup is a water bottle, food, and a spit bucket. My reason for two videos in each different/strange location is because my whole life I have been told/known that most of the food I have never tried/disliked are unconventional, so I took inspiration from prior projects and decided to try conventional food in unconventional places. The explanation for the two videos in each place is that I have also been told you need to at least take two bites when trying a new food.I took influences from Vito Acconci, Marina Abramovic, and Patty Chang when creating my work. All of these artists used themselves as their subjects putting themselves in an uncomfortable situation and pushing their bodies to their limits. Each of these artists inspired me to create a deadpan performance putting myself in a similar position as them and capture it in a video. I wanted my audience to feel immersed, surrounded, and overwhelmed by watching my art piece. I created the space into a kitchen table, where my video is playing on a large screen at the head of the table, creating the space where most people try food. I wanted my audience to be eating while watching my video to create a connection between the viewers and the subject.