The EyeSCREAMERY

WHAT MAKES YOU WANT TO SCREAM?

The EyeScreamery is an ice cream stand popping up at exhibitions and special events that serves frozen desserts. It is an edible response to a 1941 LIFE magazine article titled, “How to tell Japs from the Chinese.” In the aftermath of Pearl Harbor, with rampant xenophobia and fear, mainstream media told Americans how to identify the enemy instead of advocating for respect and understanding in the face of escalating hate crimes.

When I first saw this article, it made me want to scream. After a collaborative session with photographer Mia Nakano, Jane Lee, and a customized edible inkjet printer, we decided to print one of each eye from the LIFE magazine article, which led to the creation of the EyeScreamery. During the pop-up ice cream stand, participants are asked, “What makes you want to scream” while sharing the history of this article. Pages of the zine distributed at events appear in sequence below.

Thanks to California College for the Arts, San Francisco Art Institute, Japanese American National Museum, and the Asian Art Museum, for hosting the EyeScreamery.