Group of artists beautifully explore the metaphorical powers of ice cream

Date
25 October 2012

Even though the onset of winter is more about log fires and thermal undies than the gorgeous, brain-flippingly sweet sensation of biting into an ice cream, London’s V&A museum is paying homage to this humble frozen delicacy.

I Scream Factory is a multi-sensory MA project first launched at Central St Martins by creative director Alexandra Plesner who comes from a family where ice cream has been their business for five generations. Alexandra was keen to explore our relationship with this quintessential here-one-minute-gone-the-next treat, by “delving into the metaphoric possibilities of the product.”

Working a multinational roster of really energising, young creative talent, she has brought together several very different but equally engaging takes on these ideas.

We were particularly enamoured with Takeshi Suga’s photographs, where his trademark delicacy with light and colour mirrors the foodstuff at the centre of his creations. He said: “I use ice cream as a sweet and sentimental vehicle for stirring up nostalgia and our longing for childhood, and what makes my images unique is that there’s a strong Japanese aesthetic to them, both visually and narratively.”

And it’s no great surprise that both Melanie Galea and Sara Mautone from Italy – a country with a longterm love affair with ice cream – both produced excellent responses too, but truth be told there’s a lot to enjoy across the projects which also come from Ting Cheng," Maxim Emelyanov, Katya Sinkovskaja, Lena Vazhenina and Nadia Sarwar.

The work goes on display at the V&A for one night only on November 16 as part of the Creative Direction in the Digital Age showcase.

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Takeshi Suga: I Scream Factory

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Takeshi Suga: I Scream Factory

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Takeshi Suga: I Scream Factory

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Takeshi Suga: I Scream Factory

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Takeshi Suga: I Scream Factory

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Takeshi Suga: I Scream Factory

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Sara Mautone: I Scream Factory

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Sara Mautone: I Scream Factory

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Sara Mautone: I Scream Factory

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Sara Mautone: I Scream Factory

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Sara Mautone: I Scream Factory

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Melanie Galea: I Scream Factory

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Melanie Galea: I Scream Factory

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Melanie Galea: I Scream Factory

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About the Author

Rob Alderson

Rob joined It’s Nice That as Online Editor in July 2011 before becoming Editor-in-Chief and working across all editorial projects including itsnicethat.com, Printed Pages, Here and Nicer Tuesdays. Rob left It’s Nice That in June 2015.

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