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John Hollenhorst ReportingAt this time of year our thoughts turn to food, as in 'food, food and more food!' But it's a pretty safe bet most of us don't think of food the same way a local photographer does. She imagines the day when food attacks us!
Something strange is going on at the Sweet Library. Fruits and veggies are running amok. On the walls, in photographs; a man under attack by bananas; a woman being swallowed by cranberries; spaghetti climbing up someone's leg. Even bubble-gum is out of control!
Even if you don't know much about art, this is food for thought. You've got to wonder where this stuff is coming from.
Bethany Hale: "First date and your salad is attacking you."
It's coming from Bethany Hale's home studio. She's working on a new photo, something about cucumbers climbing out of a salad and up the arm of Bethany's horrified sister-in-law.
Bethany Hale: "I love food, first of all."
Apparently it's sort of a love-hate thing.
Bethany Hale: "It's kind of like the reversal, something that we depend upon coming back to get us. It's something we need, and what happens when it turns on us."
Like all good art, it's a little bit ambiguous. You're not sure whether to get scared or get hungry.
Bethany Hale: "It's artistic license, ha, hah. I love food so hopefully it never turns on me."
Her show has some helpful food definitions. Asparagus: A spare. A Gus. Canteloupe: Can't Elope. But her stock-in-trade is when food turns the tables and becomes a threat, sometimes literally.
Bethany Hale: "We had peas in his mouth and he started to choke towards the end of it, and so we just stopped the shoot and he spit them out. He lived, but it was a little scary. "
The show seems to have special meaning at this time of year when so many people over-indulge.
Bethany Hale: "You know think about if you didn't have that food. So watch out! Maybe when you're eating one day the food will start walking off your plate. You never know. Ha, ha, ha."
If you're still having trouble grasping the artistic message, take a look. It's spelled out for you right there in the soup. "U.R. Next."
So far, it's fruit and vegetables on the attack, but Bethany Hale isn't letting carnivores off the hook. She promises meat on the rampage in future photos.
"Food Attacks" is on display until January 13th in Salt Lake City's Avenues at the aptly named Sweet Library.
