This piece was influenced by the limitations I faced during the pandemic. I no longer had a live audience, ample space or ability to scream and sing in my apartment. As a performer, this was hard to grasp. I now had to create video art alone in a small space where I needed to be quiet for the sake of my neighbors.

About a month into isolation, I began training my body to become more physically fit. Some blood tests earlier in the year revealed a higher than desirable blood sugar level. Quarantine enabled me to have the time to explore my personal fitness and health at home. The other catalyst for this work was that I was accidentally sent a case of Tiramisu Oreos—12 packages of Oreos, or 288 cookies!

My art always has a prominent food element. Doritos, chicken nuggets and Cheetos inspire me. I always use excessive amounts of snacks—different brands with colorful packaging that I violently destroy and throw around the room while dancing wildly. The pandemic put into perspective the way I use my edible props. It no longer felt right to “waste food.” Instead, I used the food I already had—my Oreos. My costumes and makeup had come from the “free table” at my former freelance job in video editing.

For this piece, I savored the Oreos and used them thoughtfully. Instead of chewing and spitting out the cookies, I ate them. Elaborate makeup and costumes were carefully applied. I wore sequin crusted dresses to eat them delicately with oat milk. Zip ties were used to attach the Oreos to my midriff. The zip ties were tightened to create a “sausage effect”—my skin bulged out from between the ties. The Oreos running down my stomach gave the appearance of a forced 6 pack (my quarantine goal).

Any cookies that hit the ground and were still intact went back into the package. I ended up finishing the remaining Oreos during the Zoom premiere 3 days later.

This was the second piece of art I created since the pandemic began. Shifting from in person spaces to virtual ones has been hard, but 288 Oreos have made it a little easier.