16.10.03
Delia
Smith as you've never seen her before
A
striking portrait of Delia Smith, shattering perceptions of her
conservative image, has been unveiled for the first time.
The
work has been created by Marc Quinn, Britain's leading contemporary
artist, who in the past, has made a sculpture of himself using his
own frozen blood.
So
arresting and colourful is the image that already, those who have
seen the portrait have christened it "Psyche-Delia".
Said
Marc Quinn: "It's like a dream Delia, and a dream of Delia's."
"To make her image real, I think you need to make it as unreal
as possible. It's a paradox."
The
portrait celebrates the launch of The Delia Collections, her new
series of books in which each volume is focused on a single ingredient
or type of dish.
A huge,
six-foot version of the image will be on show in Selfridges, Oxford
Street, in London from Thursday 16th October for three weeks.
The
Selfridges store in Birmingham will also display the work of art
at the same time.
Delia
has described the image as "striking, imaginative and good
fun."
The
work has been made using only items found in the average kitchen.
A finely
detailed sculpture of Delia's head has been cast in chocolate. Surrounding
it are vividly coloured pieces of fruit, including sliced oranges,
strawberries, grapes, sweet corn and peppers. A pot full of boiled
eggs and a sunflower pay homage to earlier images from her books.
And a heart-shaped cake mould signifies how she is loved by the
entire nation.
Said
Marc Quinn: "Rather than choosing materials such as bronze
or marble, I decided to use items which everyone can find in their
kitchen. I wanted to de-mystify art making, in the same way that
Delia has de-mystified cooking."
"So
I simply walked into a supermarket and bought a lot of different
food."
"There's
a direct correlation between making a sculpture and cooking. In
both cases, you take many separate elements and combine them to
make a work of art. I think that everyone who cooks is an artist
in their own way."
Marc
Quinn's work has been exhibited in leading galleries around the
world and he is one of the six artists short listed for the Fourth
Plinth Project in Trafalgar Square. He has worked in materials as
diverse as bread, meat, flowers, marble, bronze and ice.
Work
on the portrait began several weeks ago. Hundreds of precise measurements
were taken of Delia's head, enabling a precise model to be made
in clay. This in turn was used to create a mould, which, when filled
with fifty bars of melted plain chocolate, produced the centrepiece
chocolate head of the portrait. Every contour is faithfully reproduced
- even the fine details of her hair.
Marc
then carefully arranged the additional elements of fruit and other
foods around it, selecting each piece for maximum colour, impact
and metaphor.
Said
Marc: "In the final image, her eyes are closed, because I wanted
to suggest the impression of a dream."
The
final arrangement was then photographed before being destroyed.
No other record of the portrait exists.
Said
Marc: "The work exists as a moment. If you left it on a table,
it would all rot away. It's a celebration of cookery and food in
general.".
"I
think Delia's image is powerful enough that it can survive being
re-invented. She is a figure in the nation's psyche."
Said
Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Books Director Robin Wood: "The finished work reflects
the richness of Delia's own chosen 'art form', cookery, and it will
remind everyone of how she personifies delicious food".
Marc
Quinn is working on a number of exhibitions of new work for Europe
and America next year.
Editor's
notes:
Funding
for the commission comes from Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Books and not from the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ's Licence
Fee income. Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Books is part of Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Worldwide, the consumer commercial
arm of the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ, a wholly owned subsidiary of the British Broadcasting
Corporation (Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ). The company was formed in 1994 to develop a co-ordinated
approach to the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ's commercial activities: television, channels,
publishing, product licensing, internet and interactive. Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Worldwide
exists to maximise the value of the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ's assets for the benefit
of the licence payer, and re-invest in public service programming.
|
