| Beschreibung |
This course acknowledges the social and sensual engagement of food in contemporary artistic and social practices, from the late 60s of Eat-Art to the 80s of relational aesthetics. We will begin with a physical involvement in the ecology of foods and a forensic investigation of the logistics and migratory histories of ingredients, specifically focusing on the onion. We will explore how cultural identities and ecological assemblages shape gastronomic experiences. Fieldwork studies of restaurants in Weimar, from a decolonial theoretical perspective, will investigate eating as a constructed representation of specific cuisines. Reflective culinary practice will lead to reconstructed food, discussed and presented through collaborative outputs.
Interdisciplinarity | Beyond the hospitality of food, this course critically examines ecological assemblages. We will focus on the transformation of the onion, considering its now adapted locality in Weimar, understanding economic logistics, and the role of German discount stores. By analyzing restaurants as public interfaces representing international cuisines, students will develop skills to examine the fetishized decorative layer of commodified images. Decolonial discussions will encourage reflections on the touristic situation of the cultural and historical context of Weimar, an East German heritage city, and how international restaurants represent themselves as far-east utopias.
Learning Goals | This course aims to enact a critical analysis of cultural cuisines in Weimar. Class discussions will cover the artistic and social history of multimedia culinary happenings. Practical collaborative activities will include building portable gardens, composting, and grafting designs to consider permaculture philosophies and beyond-soil relationships. Spatial design fieldwork exercises will equip students with an understanding of architectural choices, customer demographics, market research, and communicative experiences from local surveys and interviews. Documentation will be presented in sequential and artistic formats, including reflective zines, collaborative recipes, and participatory exercises. We will utilize sensory experiences of food in artistic practices, culminating in a collaborative dine-in happening.
Didactical Concept | We will deconstruct food as a spectacle with thematic readings for class discussions. The course will reference past and contemporary artistic approaches using food as a medium for social and political reflection. Works by artists such as Spoerri, Matta-Clark, Tiravanija, Futurefarmers, Seitu Jones, Eva Aguila, Tattfoo Tan, Lee Mingwei, Michael Rakowitz, Co.merr group, and Soren Aagaard will inform the development of critical projects utilizing food as a medium. |
| Literatur |
Anna Tsing, 2015, "Mushroom at the End of the World"
Futurefarmers, 2012, "A Variation on Powers of Ten"
Boris Groys, 2008, "The City in the Age of Touristic Reproduction"
Nicolas Bourriaud, 1998, "Relational Art"
Andrea Borghini and Andrea Baldini, 2021, "Cooking and Dining asForms of Public Art"
Rirkrit Tiravanija and Antto Melasniemi, 2019, "The BastardsCookbook" |
