Madison Rudin

The Picnic

This installation was used as a mock install for a later project I am hoping to create called "The Picnic of the Pantry I Wish i had". When creating this work I had the idea for a new work about further investigating nostalgia.

“Growing up my mom implemented a healthy diet, which made it increasingly hard to fit in amongst my peers in the cafeteria. This denial only amplified the appeal of these products when I walked through grocery stores. These brand monsters became a nostalgic fantasy; something I deeply craved but rarely was given. Food also has the ability to unite communities and channel nostalgia. This bizarre connection we have with products creates brand loyalty, uniting communities of consumers who have a finatical devotion to that specific branded product, “brand tribes”. These are things that I have the freedom to eat now as an adult but I don’t eat them too often (or at least try not to). With this work I take the time and energy to re-create these products that I love but in the end I still don’t have the satisfaction of enjoying the treat itself. In some ways I am still deprived, yet mentally fulfilled, and definitely visually stimulated. ”