Window Display (Pasta) - Term Paper Example

December CSR Display: Why We Used Pasta Our project consists of cardboard trees decorated with pasta shapes, hung upside-down over a group of folders. The folders are strewn with leaves fallen from the trees, and the backdrop says “Fall into CSR”. One of the most important but mysterious elements of the piece is our use of pasta on the trees: surprisingly, it represents the concept of nature (which underpins our entire display), comfort, energy and internationalism, and adds an interesting textual element to our piece of art.

Our use of pasta highlights our understanding of the SCAMPER model. Beginning with the idea of “fall into CSR”, we wanted to bring together an autumnal atmosphere and a suggestion of serendipity – hence the upside-down trees dropping their leaves on to a representation of academia (the folders). The leaves hint at the significant relationship between nature and consumer/family science, but we wanted to take this suggestion further. We felt that certain aspects of the SCAMPER model – namely Substitute and Reverse – would make this connection much more obvious.

The pasta is a substitute for branches; as it is clear that our trees have recently dropped their leaves, we felt that the unpredictable shape of tree branches should be visible, rather than leaving the cardboard tree blank. The shape of the pasta does not exactly mirror the shape of branches, but it evokes a similar atmosphere, and adds greatly to the interest of the branch shapes cut into the cardboard. The way in which we used the Reverse concept of SCAMPER is, I find, delightfully subtle: the pasta is a processed foodstuff, which is glued to the cardboard trees instead of (unprocessed) leaves.

The reversal of the typical manufacturing process, again, emphasizes that in CSR we are very aware of the links between processed and unprocessed goods. That said, I feel that one improvement we could have made would be to use a processed good made from leaves, or had the unprocessed goods of pasta in the display. The reason that we decided against this was because the unprocessed ingredients of pasta (flour, water, egg, salt) do not have the same autumnal ideas as leaves and fall. Furthermore, we felt that pasta has certain connotations which we felt would be a suitable presence in our display, particularly in relation to the family part of CSR.

Pasta is often referred to as a comfort food, and is evocative of a family home and the commitment that thrives within such an environment. It is also a “healthy carbohydrate” (Baer-Sinnott) and a good basic staple for many people – a dream dictionary claims that dreaming about pasta signifies ones need for energy, suggesting that we automatically associate pasta with energy (“Pasta”). It is the “image of Italy” (“Italian Pasta”) and hearkens to a truly international food culture.

We felt that the international, multicultural nature of pasta in the twenty-first century was an important element to include in our display, as it indicates that as CSR students we have an awareness of CSR in other countries. Consumer and family science is not just an American subject but is significant all over the world. Finally, in an artistic sense, we believe that the pasta adds texture to the display. The wavy shapes of the pasta are visible even from a distance, and reduce any potential monotony for the viewer.

We were a little surprised by how many of our original aims for the display were fulfilled by this very simple element, and we hope that the viewers of “Fall into CSR” will be able to appreciate the many significances of and roles played by the pasta in our display.Works CitedBaer-Sinnott, Sara. “Scientists Confirm Health Benefits of Pasta Meal.” Food, Nutrition and Science. December 27 2010. Web. December 1 2011.“Italian Pasta”. Food Italy Online. Web. December 1 2011.“Pasta – P to Pepperoni.

” Dream Moods. Web. December 1 2011.