I have chosen to work with a painted, wooden rooster, which is a semi-realistic sculpture that resembles a male chicken.
I think the rooster, in a generalized sense, represents the start of the day and agriculture. They are known for being the leader of their flock, protecting hen, and crowing. I always associate roosters with an alarm due to them crowing in the morning.
For me, the rooster reminds me of a porcelain rooster that my grandparents have in their kitchen. It is used as a decoration piece underneath their cabinet and it brings back fond memories of childhood visits to their house. I used to visit at least once a year during the summer when I was younger. Every time I was there they would cook a big meal for everyone and everyone would help in the kitchen. The rooster for me reminds me of summer, childhood, and family and I think of the object very fondly.
I think I want to explore the idea of time or cooking in my project. I want to lean into the idea of what a rooster symbolizes. I am also thinking about touching on sexism and patriarchy in a household. Using something related to women in the kitchen. I remember seeing propaganda posters from the 50s or 60s about women in the kitchen cooking chicken, so I might do something along those lines, but with a rooster cooking chicken, symbolizing how people tear each other down more than anything else and playing on the “idea” that women belong in the kitchen.
