Knowledge (XXG)

Semiotics of the Kitchen

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31: 183:," Rosler explains; she "replaces the domesticated 'meaning' of tools with a lexicon of rage and frustration." The work was intended, like all early video, to be shown on a television monitor, and thus it is no accident that some of the gestures represent a tossing or throwing of the imaginary contents of certain implements 187:
of television programming. It is not the production of food in and of itself that is Rosler's target but the taken-for-granted role of happy housewife and selfless producer that the tape intends to spotlight. Her gestures demonstrate frustration with the language of domesticity, as she uses the
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A well-known feminist, Rosler remarked about this work that "when the woman speaks, she names her own oppression." The symbolic terminology of the kitchen, she hypothesized, transforms the woman into a sign of the system of food production and harnessed subjectivity. The video subject is an
142:, the camera observes as she presents an array of kitchen hand utensils, many of them outdated or strange. After identifying them, she demonstrates unproductive, and sometimes violent, uses for each. It uses a largely static camera and a plain set. 157:
humor, journeys through the alphabet, until the last few letters. For these, U, V, W, X, Y, and Z, the implements are dispensed with and Rosler's gestures and body become a signal system themselves. The Z replicates the mark of
170:, and words is important, since Rosler intended the video to challenge "the familiar system of everyday kitchen meanings -- the securely understood signs of domestic industry and food production." 162:, a filmic reference. At the end of the entire work, the artist offers a shrug, somehow defusing the negative reading of the parody. The focus on 232: 349: 344: 127:. The video, which runs six minutes, is considered a critique of the commodified versions of traditional women's roles in modern society. 253: 309: 207: 314: 339: 319: 184: 324: 329: 30: 139: 116: 304: 334: 289: 149:
lexicon, using a different kitchen implement for each step along the way. She begins with an
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domestic space of the kitchen as a backdrop for resistance and change.
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includes a description of the video as well as a clip from it.
94: 86: 76: 53: 43: 23: 210:. Electronic Arts Intermix. 2006. Archived from 153:, which she ties around her waist, and, with 8: 29: 20: 233:"Food for Thought: A Video Art Sampler" 196: 254:"Watch This! Revelations in Media Art" 145:Letter by letter, Rosler navigates a 7: 202: 200: 14: 16:Video art piece by Martha Rosler 258:Smithsonian American Art Museum 235:. The Jewish Museum. 2006-10-31 135:Featuring Rosler as a generic 1: 350:English-language short films 345:1970s English-language films 366: 208:"Semiotics of the Kitchen" 28: 285:Semiotics of the Kitchen 106:Semiotics of the Kitchen 37:Semiotics of the Kitchen 24:Semiotics of the Kitchen 310:1970s feminist films 123:released in 1975 by 117:single-channel video 315:1970s parody films 340:1975 comedy films 185:"outside the box" 121:performance piece 102: 101: 357: 320:1975 short films 266: 265: 260:. Archived from 250: 244: 243: 241: 240: 229: 223: 222: 220: 219: 204: 69: 67: 35:Screenshot from 33: 21: 365: 364: 360: 359: 358: 356: 355: 354: 295: 294: 278:Video Data Bank 274: 269: 252: 251: 247: 238: 236: 231: 230: 226: 217: 215: 206: 205: 198: 194: 176: 133: 79: 72: 65: 63: 56: 39: 17: 12: 11: 5: 363: 361: 353: 352: 347: 342: 337: 332: 327: 322: 317: 312: 307: 297: 296: 293: 292: 281: 273: 272:External links 270: 268: 267: 264:on 2015-07-03. 245: 224: 195: 193: 190: 175: 172: 132: 129: 100: 99: 96: 92: 91: 88: 84: 83: 80: 77: 74: 73: 71: 70: 59: 57: 54: 51: 50: 45: 41: 40: 34: 26: 25: 15: 13: 10: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 362: 351: 348: 346: 343: 341: 338: 336: 333: 331: 328: 326: 325:Cooking films 323: 321: 318: 316: 313: 311: 308: 306: 303: 302: 300: 291: 287: 286: 282: 279: 276: 275: 271: 263: 259: 255: 249: 246: 234: 228: 225: 214:on 2006-10-06 213: 209: 203: 201: 197: 191: 189: 186: 182: 173: 171: 169: 165: 161: 156: 152: 148: 143: 141: 138: 130: 128: 126: 125:Martha Rosler 122: 118: 115: 112: 108: 107: 97: 93: 90:United States 89: 85: 81: 75: 61: 60: 58: 52: 49: 48:Martha Rosler 46: 42: 38: 32: 27: 22: 19: 330:Performances 284: 262:the original 257: 248: 237:. Retrieved 227: 216:. Retrieved 212:the original 177: 144: 137:cooking show 134: 105: 104: 103: 78:Running time 55:Release date 36: 18: 181:Julia Child 164:linguistics 44:Directed by 305:1975 films 299:Categories 239:2006-11-14 218:2006-11-14 192:References 335:Semiotics 168:semiotics 147:culinary 131:Scenario 111:feminist 95:Language 174:Meaning 155:deadpan 98:English 87:Country 64: ( 179:"anti- 114:parody 82:6 min. 160:Zorro 151:apron 109:is a 290:IMDb 140:host 119:and 66:1975 62:1975 288:at 301:: 256:. 199:^ 166:, 242:. 221:. 68:)

Index


Martha Rosler
feminist
parody
single-channel video
performance piece
Martha Rosler
cooking show
host
culinary
apron
deadpan
Zorro
linguistics
semiotics
Julia Child
"outside the box"


"Semiotics of the Kitchen"
the original
"Food for Thought: A Video Art Sampler"
"Watch This! Revelations in Media Art"
the original
Video Data Bank
Semiotics of the Kitchen
IMDb
Categories
1975 films
1970s feminist films

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