This six-minute looping video presents enlarged abstracted visuals of rice on skin, creating an oddly sensual landscape that also evokes associations with microbes or otherworldly terrains. The tactile interplay between the grain and the body hints at the latent taboo of intertwining food and sensuality, unsettling the boundaries between nourishment and desire, consumption and intimacy.
A young female voice recites an extensive list of rice-related products, crafting a stream-of-consciousness narrative that delves into the cultural and sensual dimensions of this staple grain. The repetitive recitation, paired with abstract imagery, functions as an associative, contemplative essay, encouraging reflection on the intersections of identity, consumption, and objectification within cultural contexts.
By intertwining auditory repetition with evocative visuals, El Mundo Maravilloso del Arroz – Litany invites viewers to confront their perceptions and contemplate the nuanced relationships between everyday objects and societal constructs, exploring representation and the complexities of cultural symbolism.
The choice of a Spanish title adds a layer of distance between my own heritage and the subject matter, broadening the discourse to a wider consideration of the female body and food. At the same time, using Spanish – a language in which I had limited proficiency –serves as an additional act of appropriation, reflecting on the complexities of cultural identity and appropriation.
Video produced with Stefan Zeyen.
Medium: Mini-DV, Duration: 6 minutes, Loop
