The presence and absence of food determine the living condition of the human being, which is why food is in every way a tool of dominion. It is power, it is justice. From these reflections, the research for the all-female collective based in London, gobyfish, develops. The three artist-cooks, decidedly anticapitalist, offer the public performative and conceptual meals, focusing on the acts of cooking and eating as true rituals, with an outlook on sharing and collaboration. During their experimental dinners, which can also be defined as edible installations, Fenella Brereton, Maia Magoga, and Alia Hamaoui (founders of gobyfish) stimulate the diners to engage in conversation around a social and ecological dimension of food. While on one hand, the intention is to delve into an ancestral past, exploring, for example, pre-human advancements like the discovery of fire and the invention of kitchen utensils, on the other hand, gobyfish reflects on the future, currently entirely speculative. The promoted conversations always originate from the awareness that food shapes our landscape and is, more than anything, an impactful element from a socio-ecological standpoint. Let’s delve further into the narrative through the description of two performative meals organized by gobyfish.
Effervescent, the connection with the non-human microbial world
«A question that we like to continuously come back to is: how can we think less like humans?» explains gobyfish on their website, inviting the audience to perceive the sensations of their own bodies, starting, for example, from the porosity of the skin or the warmth of saliva, to then shift attention to the stomach, the home of various microbial populations that regulate the health, brain function, and mood of human beings. Based on this reflection, at the core of the collective’s research, the Effervescent event celebrated the fermentation process as a tool capable of connecting humans with the microbial world. «Our bodies are shared, hosting around 90% bacteria,» explains gobyfish, «the dinner opened a dialogue that reminded guests of their interconnected nature. Fermented foods help replenish our internal ecosystems, which have coevolved with us since birth. Without these microorganisms our immune and digestive systems could not survive. Crafting a menu with a microbial population is a grounding process that requires patience and appreciation for their timely gifts, while also allowing us to connect to this unseen world.»
The Fucus seaweed, antimicrobial and a potential plastic substitute
In the Fucus happening, another interesting aspect of gobyfish’s research emerges, exploring the mysteries and potentialities in a broad sense that food hides. In other words, the three artist-cooks emphasize the importance of studying and understanding the properties of each food that nature offers us. The protagonist of this experimental lunch, which gave its name to the event, was the Fucus seaweed and its properties. Above all, its antimicrobial action, capable of combating bacterial infections such as Staphylococcus aureus, in addition to its ability to absorb and retain nutrients, sequester carbon, promote soil regeneration, and serve as a substitute for plastic. A conceptual dinner based on the exploration of the mysteries of algae and ecosystems of these life forms. «They also gave us exciting flavour combinations to work with when designing a menu. Sharing aquatic flavours and textures was a way of inviting everyone around the table to explore these tentacular organisms and their potential to heal our land and bodies.»
We’ve already discussed our fascination with food here, but gobyfish goes far beyond. They don’t stop at the material and aesthetic aspects linked to visual culture but understand and perceive the power and implications it can have, whether dramatic or salvific, depending on our choices and actions. The answer to our initial question can only be yes, we can make art by eating, because it implies the preceding ritual of preparation and the subsequent one of sharing. All following a logic where art remains a tool capable of stimulating dialogues and reflections on contemporaneity, even attempting to propose solutions to current issues.
courtesy gobyfish
