When first arriving at the SSCAC I was more than skeptical that I would ever be able to relate to it. The chipped floors, peeling paint, and mountains of dust seemed to scream neglect. I couldn’t imagine where I could even begin in working with this building. Yet, despite the distancing I felt at SSCAC, I chose to stay in the course (probably due to a combination of Drea who seemed like a fountain of knowledge and partly because everyone else in the class seemed so motivated from day one). As it turns out, my sticking with the class ended up being one of the best decisions I made all semester. After repeatedly making a migration over to the south side week after week, that cold feeling of neglect fell away. Through all of those weeks spent inside it’s walls, that cold feeling began to exude warmth. The chipped floors, peeling paint, and piles of dust transformed into evidence. Remnence of past and present happenings and proof that it was loved. I was able to embrace the buildings bumps and bruses. By the time the end of the semester approached, I had been able to personify this place I had thought I would never be able to relate to. In retrospect I feel that it was this personification of space that really dictated my project.
“Home Cooking” changed shape and size so many times throughout the evolution of this course, it’s almost hard to recollect that the idea began as an outdoor BBQ. Quickly, it stepped away from that and (much like my other works) began to evolve into something I imagined as being intimate and personal. The focus that once lay with food and cooking stayed present but, many other aspects began to dominate. I think that a large part of Home Cooking ended up being about transformation- an aspect that was largely influenced by the way SSCAC was able to transform. Not only in the physical sense that the center seemed capable of morphing into different creatures- hosting events, holding classes, exhibiting artworks, etc. But, in an almost spiritual way- from seeming like a beat up old building into feeling almost like a second home. I feel that “Home Cooking” almost became a visualization of how I had personified SSCAC and made an example of how it was able to transform.
