The Pageant
of the Amuse Bouche
May-June
2012
P3
Studio at the Cosmopolitan, Las Vegas
My
2012 project for the P3 Studio continued my examination of representations of
women and food as cultural signifiers and featured three mixed-media figurative sculptures
built on- site while inviting visitors to participate in their construction
(both conceptually and physically) over the course of five weeks. These
columnar cakes layered references to caryatids from ancient Greek architecture
and festival pageantry with contemporary female archetypes found on the Las
Vegas Strip: the Bride, the Bachelorette, the Showgirl, the Dancer, the
Celebrity, etc. Some of these archetypes are entertainers, integral to the Las
Vegas tourist experience, while others participate as visitors for whom the Las
Vegas Strip represents the temporary realization of fantasies.
Visitors
were invited to participate by selecting from a variety of small sculptural
elements connoting various symbolic meanings and displayed on pedestal platters
(cake decorations or ceremonial offerings). Guests placed the objects of choice
onto a caryatid, suggesting collective, social constructions and shared
experiences. All were invited to reflect on the projectÕs themes of love, sex,
parties, relationships and more, by writing a word or a few sentences in the
Pageant guest books. Some of the writing was later appropriated and ÒremixedÓ
into chance poetry works performed at the June 7 performance.