Food holds the power to evoke emotions, take us to the particular time that we have experienced, direct our mind towards certain people we have shared a particular dish with—a single bite ignites vivid memories, conjuring cherished moments and familiar faces. Remnants of a Loved One is an ongoing project in which the artists aims to collect visuals of plates curated by people from the selection of 60 food items ranging from the local snacks, to the fruits and vegetables that are frequently used in the region; the food items in the spread are chosen keeping the local context in mind. The participatory installation gives the participant a prompt to interact with the work. The instructions include picking up an empty plate and then picking out food items from the table that reminds them of a particular loved one. The artist looks at these curated plates as portraits of people’s loved one.
Laiba Aslam 