Among our group’s projects, a general theme that developed was one of college student life: all of our pieces replicate food items that are fast, relatively cheap, and require little or no preparation (advantageous for those with ill-equipped or no kitchens). This theme may not occur in any kind of replication, as it appears here as a result of the artists being in school.

Whereas Mountain Dew may represent a student’s use of caffeine to stay alert while studying, and buffalo wings may reflect an escape from campus and the dining hall, Velveeta presents a food item that a student might be able to prepare in his or her own room or dorm kitchen. Another aspect of this piece is that of fakeness—the replicated item is fake, just like Velveeta cheese may be regarded as “fake” cheese, something artificial, overworked, or over-processed. I think that replicating an entire building (if funds permitted) would be an interesting project, especially a replication of a very famous or historic building. It could put into question the emphasis we put on specific sites.

The presentation of the current project, with the reproduction side-by-side with the original, forces a strict comparison between the two items that may not exist if the replication were presented on its own. A different means of presenting would be to display all of the class’s reproductions in a group and all of the originals in a group arranged in the same positions.