About

This was a collaborative project that was accepted and displayed in the University of Michigan Penny Stamps School of Art & Design’s 2022-2023 Annual Undergraduate Juried Exhibition.

Through this project, we intended to discuss the social phenomena in Western culture where East Asian culture is selectively consumed. With our similar backgrounds and experiences, we have noticed that there has been a rise in Asian trends within social media and society. What was once rejected and demonized by Western culture has now been called “aesthetic” and “cutesy”. We chose to showcase our feelings with this drastic change in acceptance through a vending machine installation. We hoped to convey the essence of a vending machine, where consumers could selectively choose accessible items with ease. The outside of the vending machine displays the hate and vicious words we have received by starting as far back as adolescence. In contrast, the inside is kept in pristine condition to represent the idolized features and cuisine Western society now considers fun and interesting. The juxtaposition between the inside and the outside represents how some of our culture is commercialized rather than being fully accepted. Regarding the products inside, though they may seemingly look authentic, they have been altered and customized to satisfy the Western taste and preferences.