Sure, you’ve seen the interiors of your food as you work your way down an ice cream sundae or dig into a bowl of Ramen. But have you ever seen your favourite foods like this: from a cross-section sliced right down the middle? The aptly titled “Cut Food,” a series of food photographs by Beth Galton and Charlotte Omnes, lends a new perspective to everyday dishes -- transforming familiar foods into unexpected delights.
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| From "Cut Food." Source: BethGalton.com |
Beth Galton, a photographer, and Charlotte Omnes, a food stylist, demonstrate the technical process behind the photographs and reflect on their creative thinking in an inspiring short video. According to Galton, “The main thing we’re trying to do is to make people say, ‘How did they do that?’” As you scroll through the photographs and see milk swirling through a cross-section of coffee and noodle soup seemingly suspended in mid-air, this question will almost certainly cross your mind. There is magic in these photographs, and the techniques that Galton and Omnes use to create this magic are innovative, surprising, and fun.
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| From "Cut Food." Source: BethGalton.com |
As I viewed “Cut Food,” the images provoked questions that we as emerging museum professionals must confront as we begin to handle objects both common and unfamiliar. What would happen if we cut into an object to see what is inside? How can we determine if the benefits of handling (or changing) an object outweigh the risks? Would the act of altering an object to peer into its centre destroy its value, or would it transform our understandings and interpretation of the object?
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| From "Cut Food." Source: BethGalton.com |
When managing collections, we must always consider the outcomes of our actions when we handle objects, and who might be affected by our actions. “Cut Food” wonderfully posits what happens when an object we thought we knew can turn our assumptions upside down. And when it comes to cutting into ice cream, I think that the benefits outweigh the damage.
To learn more about "Cut Food," watch the Vimeo on its production or read NPR's The Salt blog post on the project.
Besides the content of these photographs, the idea behind them is fascinating. Cutting objects in two (and some of these objects which, as you said, Katherine, are familiar, become unfamiliar) reveals a new world of colors and textures. It is a way to reveal the unknown especially at a time when we are all so interested (obsessed even?) in deconstructing our foods and knowing everything about its inner structures. What a great take on this contemporary practice.
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