Semiotics of the Kitchen
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Semiotics of the Kitchen is a feminist parody video and performance piece released in 1975 by Martha Rosler. The film, which runs six minutes, is considered a critique of the commodification of food and traditional women's roles.
Featuring Rosler as a generic cooking show host, the film observes as she presents different kitchen utensils and, after identifying them, demonstrates violent and unproductive uses for each. It uses a static camera and a plain set, allowing the viewer to focus more on Rosler's performance.
Letter by letter, Rosler navigates a culinary lexicon, using a different kitchen implement for each step along the way. She begins with an apron, which she ties around her waist, and humorously journeys through the alphabet. This focus on linguistics and words is an important, as Rosler intended for the piece to challenge "the familiar system of everyday kitchen meanings -- the securely understood signs of domestic industry and food production."[1]
A well-known feminist, Rosler believed that "when the woman speaks, she names her own oppression." The terminology of the kitchen, she hypothesized, transformed the woman into a symbol of the system of food production and harnessed subjectivity. As a foil of Julia Childs, she "replaces the domesticated meaning of kitchen tools with a lexicon of rage and frustration." [2]
[edit] References
- ^ Semiotics of the Kitchen. Electronic Arts Intermix (2006). Retrieved on November 14 2006.
- ^ Food for Thought: A Video Art Sampler. The Jewish Musuem (October 31 2006). Retrieved on November 14 2006.
[edit] External links
- Video Data Bank includes a description of the video as well as a clip from it.
