Let Them Eat Cake

In this piece, I covered my face with brioches and offered them on a tray, creating a surreal figure of a “human brioche” which offers parts of itself to the audience. Drawing inspiration from the infamous phrase “Let them eat cake”, supposedly spoken by Queen Marie Antoinette, when she heard that the peasants had no bread, I attempted to reverse its negative connotations regarding the corrupt practices of power. This performance reflects on the social idea that behind the gesture of offering is hidden the intention of expecting something back from the receiver. In this spirit, I explored how the act of giving a luxury version of bread, can rouse emotions of joy and gratitude, create social bonds and foster audience interaction.