Death Never Looked this Delicious!

December 20, 2006 8:03 AM

Drop Dead Gorgeousa Photo Gallery of not so safe treats by Daniela Edburg. (via the morning news)
posted by Dreamghost (45 comments total)

Fun, but not necessarily SFW.
posted by found missing at 8:07 AM on December 20, 2006

If art is a combination of ideas and performance, this strikes me as a so-so idea executed extremely well.
posted by JamesToast at 8:14 AM on December 20, 2006 [1 favorite]

These are gorgeous. I recognize Nutella in particular as being just... right.
posted by dmd at 8:14 AM on December 20, 2006

This is either really cool or it's ruined porn for me forever.

I'm not really sure which one it is just yet.
posted by Cyrano at 8:17 AM on December 20, 2006 [1 favorite]

Very slick, and somewhat enjoyable.
posted by OmieWise at 8:24 AM on December 20, 2006

Death by Cotton Candy is awesome. I want this on a poster.
posted by Dr-Baa at 8:26 AM on December 20, 2006

Needs more pies.
posted by Pastabagel at 8:30 AM on December 20, 2006

Death by tentacle monster.... I mean tupperware. The cat makes the shot.
posted by anthill at 8:30 AM on December 20, 2006

Very good! I wish I had imagination like that...
posted by clevershark at 8:36 AM on December 20, 2006

Beautiful photography. The only problem is that the dead people don't look dead, they look like models holding some pretty effortful poses.
posted by George_Spiggott at 8:39 AM on December 20, 2006

Puts the gorge in gorgeous. Beautifully macabre, witty images. The death by Oreo one is excellent, sugar addiction to the nth. Reminds me of the mesmerisingly awful movie, La Grande Bouffe. I really like the cotton candy tornado, death by Life Savers, nyuck nyuck. Sadly, death by Nutella cuts way too close for comfort. Didn't see a death by Entenmann's but this one gets the gist. How'd the death by shampoo one get in there? I guess once she moved away from food, it became death by domestic conveniences and pleasures. Really great pics. I enjoyed that! Just in time for Christmas. urp. Thanks.
posted by nickyskye at 8:48 AM on December 20, 2006

I liked it, thanks Dreamghost.
posted by Merlyn at 8:50 AM on December 20, 2006

Great find - very fun!
posted by jonson at 8:52 AM on December 20, 2006

Good stuff!!
posted by blaneyphoto at 8:56 AM on December 20, 2006

How'd the death by shampoo one get in there?

It's where she started:

"I started this series in 2001 for my art school thesis. I painted back then, and I wanted to do a series of remakes of my favorite paintings. [I planned to add] a spin by adding one element [that would be] very much out of context. The first attempt was Death by Shampoo, after the Death of Marat by Louis-David. But I lacked the skill to do a neoclassical reproduction. So, I decided to do [the reproductions] with photography..."
posted by xod at 9:03 AM on December 20, 2006

Cute; and by cute I mean really creepy. Thanks!
posted by ZenMasterThis at 9:03 AM on December 20, 2006

How'd the death by shampoo one get in there?

That was actually the first one:

I started this series in 2001 for my art school thesis. I painted back then, and I wanted to do a series of remakes of my favorite paintings. [I planned to add] a spin by adding one element [that would be] very much out of context. The first attempt was Death by Shampoo, after the Death of Marat by Louis-David. But I lacked the skill to do a neoclassical reproduction. So, I decided to do [the reproductions] with photography instead and modified my thesis subject to be about the relationship between glamour and death.

posted by languagehat at 9:04 AM on December 20, 2006

Rats, beaten to the punch by xod. So please replace my previous comment with: nice post!
posted by languagehat at 9:05 AM on December 20, 2006

Thanks for explaining that xod. I was greedy for the images and skipped the writing. :) Glad she went from shampoo to the real killers. I could see a whole extended series of compulsively gobblable foodstuffs. Death by Cheetos with that fluorescent orange smear around the mouth, french fries with ketchup splats here and there, potato chips, roasted nuts...oh dear I can relate to those images all too well.
posted by nickyskye at 9:12 AM on December 20, 2006

The only problem is that the dead people don't look dead, they look like models holding some pretty effortful poses.

Yes, it would have been much more effective for me if the photographer had actually used dead people (or killed her models). One must sacrifice for one's art.

As a newbie stormchaser, I also liked the Cotton Candy one best-est.
posted by spock at 9:14 AM on December 20, 2006

ps Thanks for piping up too languagehat. :) (waving hello to you from Hell's Kitchen, an appropriate place for a comment on this thread.)
posted by nickyskye at 9:17 AM on December 20, 2006

Brilliant, fun photography. Thanks for the link.
posted by sidereal at 9:29 AM on December 20, 2006

Overeating to death and being incredibly thin are just so compatible, aren't they?

Because it's not enough that very thin women are used to model all clothing, cars, food, vacation packages, etc. Let's use thin models to actually perform acts that involve gluttony.
posted by flarbuse at 9:32 AM on December 20, 2006

flarbuse writes "Let's use thin models to actually perform acts that involve gluttony."

Seriously, photoshop a few extra chins in there...
posted by prostyle at 9:38 AM on December 20, 2006

Sarcasm, eh flarbuse?
posted by Mister_A at 9:47 AM on December 20, 2006

Yes, the use of thin models in these clearly seriously-themed photos attempting to depict the actual ravages of gluttony (which makes gummi bears attack you when on a picnic, apparently) is just horrible, horrible I say!
posted by phearlez at 10:20 AM on December 20, 2006

I think the point here is that bigger broads would be able to fend off the attacking Gummis, where "fend off" = "gobble up".
posted by Mister_A at 10:28 AM on December 20, 2006

flarbuse writes "Let's use thin models to actually perform acts that involve gluttony."

all that purging can take a serious toll...
posted by I, Credulous at 10:45 AM on December 20, 2006

Hm. I thought these were "okay"... really only the Death by Tentacle/Tupperware was what I would call inspired.

Consider Death by Slimfast. I mean, I get it. It's just not that moving to me.
posted by Ynoxas at 10:50 AM on December 20, 2006

Death by Oreos looks like someone's mother.

Death by SlimFast is somehow sublime. The awkward, very much alive poses of the models (who are really just her friends) actually add another element. Maybe recognizing that romantic, pretty death is a classic subject. Also, you don't have to be, um, large to eat too much cake. Now if the SlimFast model was bigger... that would tickle me.
posted by bobobox at 10:51 AM on December 20, 2006

The thin people are more likely to die, since they have less experience in taking down a bag of oreos. The fat ones have survived such encounters, and their girth is a warning to junk food predators.

In this respect, Kobayashi is like an anglerfish. Looks like prey to the oreos, then BLAM!, the hunter becomes the hunted.
posted by kickback at 11:16 AM on December 20, 2006 [1 favorite]

Now if the SlimFast model was bigger... that would tickle me.

Agreed. Also, who goes on a banana binge?
posted by itchylick at 11:20 AM on December 20, 2006

Oh yeah, very nicely done too.
posted by itchylick at 11:20 AM on December 20, 2006

I don't see what this has to do with porn at all.

Anyway, they're hilarious. Way snazzy.
posted by hypervenom at 11:41 AM on December 20, 2006

Some more strange photography, including fruit loop deformity: Es ist Mitternacht, James
posted by muckster at 11:47 AM on December 20, 2006

The ideas are ok, and as far as technique goes, I think Death By Oreos and possibly Nutella are the standouts. There are some lighting problems in the others.


Interesting and entertaining gallery though. Thanks for the fun!
posted by butterstick at 12:11 PM on December 20, 2006

Nice post!
posted by RobHoi at 1:02 PM on December 20, 2006

An item that might have been included, Death By Chocolate.
posted by nickyskye at 1:23 PM on December 20, 2006

Though not the best picture, I found Death by Lifesavers the most hilarious.
posted by slimepuppy at 2:03 PM on December 20, 2006

Well, Death by Lifesavers is certainly the most ironic title.
posted by spock at 2:39 PM on December 20, 2006

These are lovely and weird, Dreamghost, and I thank you. But would you answer a small MetaTalk-y question about the "quonsar" tag: Um, buh?
posted by cgc373 at 3:44 PM on December 20, 2006

flarbuse writes "Because it's not enough that very thin women are used to model all clothing, cars, food, vacation packages, etc. Let's use thin models to actually perform acts that involve gluttony."

Right, because using overweight models would have met with so much applause here?

And yeah, that Nutella one hits just a little too close to home. What do you mean it's not supposed to be eaten with a spoon?
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 3:53 PM on December 20, 2006

quonsar is the secret code word for matt to give me the wii...
posted by Dreamghost at 4:51 PM on December 20, 2006

Waiting for Death by Vegemite.
posted by bwg at 9:43 PM on December 20, 2006

i think it's beautiful. especially the amish/colonial look mixed with the corporate cookies.
posted by lilafain at 5:35 AM on December 21, 2006