This puffy white popcorn is certainly not for snacking! LA-based Pae White is a multimedia artist who blends art, design, and architecture into a variety of captivating creations. In this piece, she created tiny porcelain, gold-glazed kernels that were installed as part of multiple shows throughout 2011. In each installation, she attached popcorn pieces to thin wires hanging down from the ceiling. Aligned precisely, the pieces gradually shift from freshly popped corn to dark bits, blackened with badly burned edges.
The shifting color and bizarre placement of the everyday snack creates the inevitable question: “Why?” Viewers are naturally inclined to search for an answer but White’s work does not necessarily lead to an easy conclusion. According to her bio, she “encourages viewers to take a deeper look at familiar encounters and ordinary objects,” giving new life to otherwise average things. When confronted with her work, viewers will realize that the artist’s simple style is more complex than it first appears. Her thought-provoking installations lead us to really question the meaning behind the form and function of what we see.
