With 42 drawings made with a purple crayon and brush I created a short looping film depicting a female figure in the process of removing her glasses and mashing garlic using a mortar and pestle. A mortar and pestle has been used around the world for centuries throughout various peoples. Ranging from a molcajete used by Mesoamerican cultures to japanese mortars to prepare mochi, I am using the mortar and pestle as a personal cultural reference. Whenever my grandmother cooks she mashes peeled garlic and salt to create a garlic paste. This was something that was done upon every meal and was crucial in creating the right flavor for foods. I have fond memories of my grandmother telling me that flavors opened up when the garlic was sautéed at just the right temperature. My relationship with food and my grandmother are deep ones, the idea that a woman should know how to cook and season food properly were things that were unsaid female obligations in the family.

This animation is inspired by women feeling like they were split into many pieces after the election and the current undertaking of the awaited journey to equality. The title Carrot top comes from the orange hair and a popular bakery in Washington Heights with the same title. Carrot top was owned by a very talented woman who committed suicide. I had recently thought about how or why a successful woman would be driven to suicide.

animated looping short, made with digital drawings and scans of paintings.