I believe in the power of food: I believe in its ability to not just sustain or heal us physically, but to be an instrument of connection and liberation. Permission Cookbook is the culmination of over three years of writing, research and artmaking into how food is understood as a cultural and social tool, undertaken during my MFA at Memorial University of Newfoundland, Grenfell.
F*CK RESILIENCE, GIVE ME JOY
The first day of our in-person meeting, filled with hugs and communion, set the tone for relationships founded in collaboration, generosity and support. Amidst a busy schedule of technical demos, excursions and meet-and-greets, our time in our studios was couched between the informal gathering of shared meals. It was over one of these meals that we first talked about the ideal of resilience; sharing stories of trauma and strength, O’Leary loudly proclaimed “fuck resilience! I’m tired of being so resilient all the time!” That statement became her response any time the idea of resiliency came up and has since kept a question in my mind: why do we focus so much on this idea of being able to survive and thrive in spite of rather than because of?
THE UNPLANNED IMAGE
For many people visual art remains an inaccessible mode of expression. As either a viewer or an artist, the form is often dense with cerebral and verbose theory, filled with coded imagery, or just plain self-indulgent. For those without education who wish to make use of the medium the technical, monetary and creative challenges often prove to great to allow for these potential artists to feel confident, or even comfortable enough, to acknowledge that their work has value above their own enjoyment of the process.
This holds true for analogue photography. While cameras themselves can be easy enough to come by, the knowledge to operate them is no longer common. Delving into contemporary analogue photography is often as much about the science behind the process, as it is about the result. But without the tools needed to grasp the mechanics of a camera, or the complexities of the traditional chemistry, this art form finds itself available to an increasingly select few.