Ómós Digest #57: Art imitates food.
A melting pot of food, art and tech.
In 2020, I became aware of an Irish artist named John Gerrard. I had travelled to Galway to witness his exhibition in a location one might not typically expect. Whether Galway is your place of residence or a town you have visited in the past, you will be acutely aware of the city’s proximity to the Atlantic.
Positioned on Claddagh Quay pier by Galway International Arts Festival as part of Galway 2020 was CORN WORK, John Gerrard’s 10ft LED wall installation. It was set upon a substantial pavilion with three sides and roof clad in mirror-polished metal and the fourth wall being the high-resolution LED screen. As the viewer approached the mirror pavilion structure, they saw themselves reflected in the mirrored walls. On the LED screen they experienced a virtual representation of the landscape in which the structure sits, overlaid by four local folk figures: the Straw Boys. They performed a symbolic wheel of production which changed with the seasons - each character walked a quarter wheel, turned across one spoke and then emerged and walked another quarter. In time, the character would perform a synchronised solar wheel through day and night and across the year. They danced alongside (and in dialogue with) the strong flow of the River Corrib which once provided energy for the city’s many flour mills.
The Straw Boys mischievously performed their ritualistic dance before us in a loop-like fashion, taunting and transfixing the audience in equal measure. They evoked thoughts that embodied both the past and the pressing future. Perhaps this pier, on the periphery of the ancient Claddagh village, was precisely the right location for such a daring, contemporary performance. Conceptually, the installation encapsulated all of the facets that may be applied to my own craft - historical, daring, forward-thinking, respectful, industrial, contemplative. It personified ideas of flow, exchange and sustainability, performed in dialogue with the immediate landscape. I was obviously taken aback by the parallels between CORN WORK and hospitality and began considering a potential opportunity to explore how art and food can coexist and feed off one another. However, at no point had it dawned on me that John himself may have made this connection almost 20 years previous.
Fast forward two years and John and I are sitting in an empty terrace of Piglet Wine Bar in Dublin on a hot summer’s afternoon. Either the public had vacated the area for respite from the heatwave brought down upon Europe, or Piglet's location on the fringe of Temple bar conveniently escaped the crowds of seasonal tourists. Over a bowl of Cacio e Pepe, and a rather unconventional but equally delicious Gambas Pil Pil, it was clear that many of our values are indeed aligned.
It’s worth noting that John is best known for his sculptures and installations, which typically take the form of digital simulations displayed using real-time computer graphics. His works concern themselves with the nature of contemporary power by exemplifying the mass structures and vast networks of energy which materialised during the twentieth century. What this means, John accounts, is his installations largely surround a ‘post petroleum world’. His digital installations focusing on environments free from the overwhelming impacts of industrialised power, are indeed that: powerful.
“Gerrard’s fine balance of concept, content, and material suggest a theme and variations of the virtual. The computer-generated landscapes bring to mind virtual worlds, video games, and special effects able of producing unrealities. The format, however, manifests something quite real, albeit at the periphery of most of our worlds – the arrival of food in our markets and the availability of oil are things we take on faith. Their existence remains provisional – more or less virtual – whether in life, on a gallery wall, or on a computer chip.” - Emily Hall, ArtForum
Globally speaking, we live in a society that has been eclipsed by industrialisation. The rising temperatures felt across the globe are a clear warning to even those less concerned that climate change’s consequences are imminent. A human powered industry inadvertently became petroleum fueled following the advancements made in the lead up to and throughout the 20th century. Industrial factories producing weapons of war evolved and moved towards producing machines of agriculture for global use.
John uses digital technology harmoniously connected to nature and captures and invigorates the imagination of communities. I wonder too, whether this method could be applied to positive food messaging on a large scale. There is an opportunity for technology to evoke the wonder and beauty of agriculture. It can deliver powerful messages and highlight food’s undeniable importance and vulnerability. Through technology this message may be told, without the waste of our most precious resource - food itself.
Speaking with John, it was clear that this multidisciplinary way of thinking has been with him for almost two decades. He declares that ‘‘we are all artists’’ and sees food as a deeply evocative medium to channel his message. Intermittently positioned between Ireland, Spain and Vienna, the Tipperary man has been influential in the curation and design of food and art performances. These dining experiences place the attention on an array of subjects like farming, the act of dining and the act of eating. Whilst each of these are individual subjects with powerful and distinguishable messages, they are often merged and by consequence diluted.
John assists with curating installations alongside A2 Architects and AO&. I was introduced to the work of AO&, who John has collaborated with in the past. They are a collective of Austrian creatives, who identify as semi-nomads working with sites and environments to create settings and sequences for people to gather and interact. Their installations often involve food, from simple dishes to multi-course menus, strictly using products from a disclosed origin. Using John's Studio in Vienna as a canvas, the space is transformed into an effortlessly restrained artwork and dining space. Whilst inflating costs in a project might usually mean furnishings are overlooked, in this case, total focus is placed on materials, space, place and atmosphere with an emphasis on detail. The kitchen units are custom-built using robust stone sheets. The dining table is designed alongside Inseq Vienna, using windfall from the Italian island of Certosa. The Cuban chairs, based on a found example in Cuba, use steel rebar and bring transparency to the space.
John opened up his Vienna studio to AO& who curated a performative seasonal food residency within the space. The team of cooks were also allowed to use the space as a restaurant when the exhibition was not in use. John declared that AO&’s emphasis on conscious food and dining performances has had a profound impact on his outlook of food and dining as a whole. In each meal, the first serving was always a single glass of water. Perhaps an underwhelming start to a meal in normal circumstances… The second, an under-seasoned broth, again, in a restaurant, undoubtedly unsatisfactory. But in a formally assembled environment, where the ‘audience’ is in fact a guest and also performer, additional trust in the performance keeps the show going, allowing the entirety of the performance's message to be told. This thought process reminds me of ‘Techno-emotional cuisine’, a term coined by the former Chef-Patron of the former world’s best restaurant El Bulli, Ferran Adrià. The term explains the use of technology to create intuitive food that is deeply evocative. What was crucial to Ferran’s work though was not only the level of exploration and new-found skills, but that his food tasted good.
Dissolving the borders between food and art is a fascinating concept. In fact, luxury fashion brands have been at it for decades, deploying high profile chefs (like Ferran) to curate dinners for their coveted shows and launches. Now brands, like Fendi and Gucci, are attracted to what appears to be a more humble food aesthetic: ‘lo-fi cooking’ and a paired-back form of plating where big flavours are not compromised by minimal presentation. Those who have followed London’s gastronomic development over the decades will be aware of restaurants like Fergus Henderson’s St John, or his wife Margot’s Rochelle Canteen, where this style appears to have begun. Some of these restaurants’ alumni are now garnering the attention of the aforementioned fashion industry, for example, Irishman (and friend) Max Rocha. The restrained and slightly eccentric aesthetic passed on is what makes lo-fi cooking so appealing. What's so captivating about this movement is, despite its paired-back simplicity, it is extremely impactful. Laila Gohar is gaining recognition for her installations which invite the guest to interact with the food displayed. Food offerings that take us back in time and discover another era are brought to the present by the paired-back offering on the plate. From a dinner of potatoes, to Escoffier-esque banquets, poached salmon shingled with courgette scales, towers of boiled eggs, exotic fruit bars and hanging food from ceilings - the sky's the limit when it comes to food and fashion (only rule is - no micro herbs).
A quick scroll through AO& and comparisons can be made between their work and that of Laila’s. An image from 2012 reveals what looks like a sugar beet hanging from a string. From the late 1920s until 1991 in Ireland, growing and processing sugar beet into refined sugar was a nationalised industry. The social and economic impact of the industry on the new Irish state struggling to find its feet, was immense and helped to forge self-confidence in the ability of Ireland to meet its own needs. I can’t help but think that a room of suspended sugar beets may be the perfect symbol for a former thriving industry having fallen to globalisation.
As coffees arrived, the conversation with John was redirected towards farming and education. It turned out that the hay used in CORN WORK was sourced from Brookfield Farm, on the shores of Lough Derg in Co. Tipperary, which is owned by his sister, farmer Ailbhe Gerrard. . A project called Field Exchange has been undertaken on the farm, which John states is “everything Teagasc is not”. According to Brookfield, the project is “...where relationships between agriculture and creativity are examined and invigorated to combat climate change… The Exchanges will impart and share knowledge on agriculture between participants on topics including farm design, soil fertility and inclusion. Each exchange will support farmers and interested parties to implement agricultural concepts and practices that combat climate change in the soil and above it. Sharing local food together as part of the exchanges will develop a community of farmers, creatives and participants. The Exchanges are closed to the general public and booking is required.”
Field Exchange runs from June 28 - September 16 2022 and will consist of public open days and programmes of exchange. The project is in collaboration with Deirdre O’Mahony whose work addresses climate change, in this case, with Model Plot. The sculptural planting highlights a technology, born out of the need for food security in Ireland’s past and forwards to herb and forage crops that point a way to climate resilience in farming. Four large diamond frames at the heart of the planting have been sown with legumes and herb forage crops; Sainfoin, Birdsfoot Trefoil, Vetch and Phacelia. Each crop has a practical value for farmers; fixing nitrogen in the soil, benefiting animal and soil health, or sustaining pollinators and the environment. Over the course of the project, the planting will change, shifting focus from the potato at the beginning to the herb and legume crops after harvest.
12 Field Exchanges will each cover a different topic, from designing a low input farm for the future with natural fertility; to supporting creative agriculture in changing the food system, helping consumers and food producers reach each other, facilitated by NOTS (National Organic Training Skillnet).
Yesterday, farmer and activist Kieran Sullivan, who I follow on Twitter, raised the question “Farmers will change how they farm, as ever, but will retailers change how they retail? He states that farmers constantly change with the needs of the consumer, and it's always been as such –if the market demands organics, farmers will naturally shift. He observes, that while farmers like himself can spend countless hours discussing these matters amongst themselves, it is in vain if the retailer is not in the room. In order to achieve change, and thus a better food system, consistent communication between the producer, the retailer, and consumer must be brought to fruition. It is for this reason why programs like Field Exchange exist, founded and taught by those in search of a more connected and sustainable future.
Make a booking or learn more about the Programme of Exchanges and the Public Open Days.