WW9 Week 2 ~ Lilly Ribeiro

Since the first meeting with WW9 – my project idea has shifted from collecting family favorite recipes to storytelling through photographs based on personal food memories. Specifically, food memories that speak to my Luso-American identity. The foods I am interested exploring are deeply connected to my cultural identity. Some of the foods include strange foods like chicken feet, eels, and snails. Other Portuguese “Superfoods” I want to experiment with are codfish, sardines, mussels, olive oil, tomatoes, garlic, and onions. Lastly, yummy grapes that make our delicious wines. In thinking of these foods, I want to highlight social taboos through the use of sexual innuendos using food while reflecting on food traditions in my Portuguese culture. How we prepare the food, cook and / or eat.

For inspiration, I did some research on women photographers I admire.

Cindy Sherman

Sherman’s photographs, raises challenging and important questions about the role and representation of women in society, the media and the nature of the creation of art. Her work inspires me to think critically of the role of Portuguese-American women in my community. As well as how to represent social etiquette for women by deconstructing the challenges women face in society using food.

Alex Prager
Prager’s photographs mirror staged sets and models to create “film-like” images. Her subjects are exaggerated and costumed creating a work that looks “hyper-real”. Her work speaks to the ambiguity of seduction and spectacle that I want my photographs to reflect.