“Camona Banana Boat” (fig 1)
SILIGA DAVID SETOGA – TAUTAI – GUIDING PACIFIC ARTS. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.tautai.org/artist/siliga-david-setoga/
I have been exposed to numerous “deeper meanings” of food throughout this Plate which has both surprised and shocked me.
I was naive to think that food was a simple aspect of life; its sole purpose to fuel and fortifier our bodies.
My mind was first broadened by Professor Tom Bishop. He presented the idea that we should eat foods according to our temperaments. The theory is that plants and animals possess their own humeral make up and by eating the correct foods this complements our personality. (Small, 2016)
Following this lecture, I still wasn’t completely convinced that food really had a “deeper” meaning until Siliga David Setoga presented his artwork. He uses common food logos and packaging to express identity and culture.
Siliga’s work, the “Camona Banana Boat” (fig 1) relates to the Dawn Raids of the 1970s. Banana boxes are used signifying how Pasifika people were used, and then cast aside when the task was completed. The “Lolly Lei” is a symbol labelling Pasifika people, discarding their identity. The original Lei is made from flowers, however in New Zealand this concept has been Westernised using lollies. Siliga remade the lolly wrappers using labels often assigned to Pasifika people. For example, “Chupa Chups” became “Chubby Chops”. Lei are given to people in a similar way that Pasifika people were given these labels.
So now I believe that food is a deep and meaningful a topic, with the ability to keep us alive and define who we are.
Small, R. (2016, May 25). Food, identity and humoral theory in early modern England. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xX6rHiqodA
It’s so true that food can play a role in defining who we are. Siliga David Setoga’s work really inspired me as well and I thought it was really powerful in conveying his message about the relationship between food and identity. I loved hearing about how his mother wouldn’t allow him to peel the taro with a peeler, instead forcing him to use the tinned mackerel lid. This perfectly encapsulated the fact that there is so much more to food and it’s preparation than just the end result, food carries cultural and ancestral ties with it which can be passed on from generation to generation. It’s so much more than a form of substinance.