How to create artworks that resonate

I love it when artists bring to life concepts that resonate with daily life, just like Berlin-based designer and vegetarian, Silvia Wald who opened up a butcher shop called Aufschnitt (German for “cold cuts”) complete with hams, sausages and meat cuts. They’re not real, of course, but those who are looking for real pieces of meat at her shop might find themselves a little confused.

From Oddity Central:
An engineer for clothing technology, Wald started making her delicious fluffy meats in 2009, as a small project, but after seeing how popular her few sausages were, she started making all kinds of other textile foods, from salami to large pieces of ham, from materials like cotton stretch velvet, lycra, wool or micro fibre. Then she opened her own little butcher shop in Berlin, where she sells her creations to both meat lovers and vegetarians.

I know if I stick these in my home long enough I might start to look at meat a little differently, and if I were ever in Berlin Aufschnitt is definitely a place I’d love to visit!

If you’d like to create artworks that resonate with people, here are a few tips:

Find an angle that you’re passionate about
This can be an interesting slant to what you’re drawn to – Silvia chose to produce work based on meat because she is passionate about being a vegetarian – not because she likes meat. So tap into what you love, but also see how you can create a message that enforces and strengthens your passion. It’s always more effective to find a different angle rather than just saying “here’s what I like” and then just showing it.

Play up the contrast
What makes Silvia’s shop so intriguing is also because the fact that she is a vegetarian who creates vegan-friendly meat replicas: things you wouldn’t expect to appear in the same sentence when describing a vegetarian. What can you offer people that will make them look twice?

Find intersections between your passion and a message
It’s always stronger to first create a message that others can resonate with (for Silvia it’s creating meat products that are vegan-friendly), and then creating works that speak or spread that message (surprise, surprise, it’s not meat – therein lies the fun!). Once you have a clear and direct way of communicating your vision, it’s easier for your audience to connect with what you are trying to say.

Create interest via context
Silvia has done a great job of putting her wares into context – she puts her plush toys and meat pillows in a deli display; and hanging it up on the wall – just like what you’d see meat being displayed in a butcher shop. See how your art can communicate with its surroundings!

If you have more tips to share, let us know in the comments section!

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