Last week I went to the opening reception at the Johnson Museum, featuring the work of Matthew Schreiber, who works with a variety of mediums that manipulate light, most notably lasers and holograms. In a presentation where he spoke about his early years and inspiration for exploring this genre of art, he talked about using a variety of non-traditional artistic media, such as light, to create a certain mood or highlight various physical, philosophical, and spiritual realities. Experiencing his exhibit “Crossbow” was a real treat: a dark room filled with red lasers making a geometric pattern, I was able to experience the artwork in a way not allowed by traditional drawings, paintings, or photography. I was in the art itself, exploring it. Laser beams surrounded me, highlighting my skin and shining past my face.

Experiencing this made me think of other media which could be utilized for artistic expression, to communicate through other senses beside sight. Sculptures can be touched, music can be heard. What about smell? What medium could be utilized to speak to the nose? I realized that food is a fantastic art form. Truly experiencing a good meal incorporates all the senses: eyes see a tender steak, ears hear it sizzling on the grill, mouth smells the luscious aroma, tongue tastes the juicy cut, and who doesn’t like eating with their hands? Food is art that you can literally consume; art that becomes part of your own body! I don’t cook much (Cornell dining takes good care of my stomach), but I look forward to experimenting with this delightful art medium in the future.

image courtesy of http://www.vogtgallery.com/index.php?/artists1/matthew-schreiber/