ART AND FOOD: POLITICAL DIMENSIONS AND ARTISTIC POSSIBILITIES OF FOOD

During the fall semester of 2018/2019, PhDArts doctoral candidate Thalia Hoffman will teach the course Art and food: political dimensions and artistic possibilities of food.

The course encourages students to rethink the practical and conceptual role of food in the political and artistic realm. The aim is to open up new perspectives on taste and smell, and to inspire students to explore aspects of cooking, eating and feeding in their artistic practice.

Morad Hassan, Thalia Hoffman, Ofri Omer, Yair Vardi. Interior Parts. Performance, 20'. Premiered in 2016.

Tutor

Thalia Hoffman

For whom

For 2nd, 3rd and 4th year BA students of KABK and LU

When

4 Wednesday sessions + 1 Thursday evening for final presentation, September – December 2018

Study points

3 EC

About this course

This course focuses on the social and political dimensions of food production, distribution and consumption around the world, as well as on its artistic and aesthetic possibilities. Students reflect on the role of food and the significance of taste and smell in art. Subsequently, they are invited to further explore the role of food, of cooking, eating and feeding, in their own artistic practice. The course includes theoretical research as well as practical experiments. The course encourages interdisciplinary collaborations between students from different departments. Resulting works will be presented in an exhibition.

The course is intended for 2nd, 3rd and 4th year BA students from all departments of the KABK. The course also welcomes students from Leiden University, for whom this is an opportunity to be matched with art students to collaborate with during the course.

Between 10 to 12 students can participate in the programme.
The course will be in English.

  • Session 1: Wednesday 19 September 2018 10.00 – 18.00 h (BB.203)
  • Session 2: Wednesday 17 October 2018 15.00 – 19.00 h (BB.203)
  • Session 3: Wednesday 21 November 2018 10.00 – 18.00 h (BB.203)
  • Session 4: Wednesday 5 December 2018 10.00 – 18.00 h (BB.203)
  • Final presentation: Thursday 6 December 2018 15.00 – 21.00 h (opening 19.00 h - PA.0H, PA.0Ga, PA.0Gb & Gallery 1)

+ expected self-study/individual preparation: 50 hours.

Full attendance is obligatory in order to receive study points towards the Individual Study Trajectory (3 EC). Please make sure you will be available on the abovementioned dates and times.

Participants will be selected on the basis of their motivated application. Apply before Monday 10 September 2018 23:59 h (CET) by registering for this course in Osiris. To complete your application, you will be required to upload a brief letter of motivation (max. 400 words, in PDF). The result of the selection will be announced on Thursday 13 September 2018 at the latest. Incomplete or late submissions, or applications sent by email, will not be accepted.

For questions, please contact Emily Huurdeman, coordinator of the lectorate, at lectoraatktp@kabk.nl.

Session 1 – 19 September 2018: Introduction
Group introduction and introduction to Food-Art. Students are invited to bring a sample of their favourite food/dish and elaborate on their personal connection to food.

Session 2 – 17 October 2018: Exploration of taste
Lecture, group discussion and experiments with food. Students present their food element of interest, which they will be working with until the end of the course.

Session 3 – 21 November 2018: Between hosting and feeding
Lecture, group discussion and exploration of art works involving feeding and hosting. Students work together and individually on the development of their final project.

Session 4 – 5 December 2018: Conclusion
Student presentations, group discussion and reflection. Preparation of final presentation and exhibition.

Final presentation – 6 December 2018:
Exhibition opening, followed by programme including talks, performances and presentations.

Throughout the course, students will present their ideas and work-in-progress and reflect on ideas and works presented by their fellow students. Besides doing the assigned readings and preparing short assignments in preparation for each session, they will produce a mind map visualizing their explorations of the subject of their choice and prepare one larger presentation about their research, as well as develop a final work for the exhibition opening/concluding presentation.

All work produced in the course of the process will be documented and collected in a working portfolio, which will be complemented by a brief reflection paper (500-700 words). ECTS credits will be awarded on the basis of this portfolio, including paper, and the performance in class. Students will be evaluated primarily with respect to their initiative and originality in the handling of assignments, their critical reflection on the strategies and theories offered in this course, and their collaboration with fellow students.

The course is taught by PhDArts doctoral candidate Thalia Hoffman.

THALIA HOFFMAN (1979, Germany) is a visual artist working in film, video, performance and public interventions, based in Jaffa – Tel Aviv. She holds a BA in Humanities from the University of Bar-Ilan, and she is an MFA graduate (with honours) in Fine Arts from the University of Haifa, where she currently teaches. Hoffman started her doctoral study at PhDArts, Leiden University in 2015. She has directed a full length documentary and several short experimental films and videos. In addition, she develops social/political change programmes, using the agent of film or video, within different communities. Through her work, she encourages people to look, listen and feel their social/political landscape with attention. Another way Hoffman approaches this is through cooking and feeding, both in a professional and in an artistic context. Hoffman’s films, video works and performances have been shown in group exhibitions and festivals in Israel and around the world.

http://thaliahoffman.com

  • Roland Barthes, ‘’Toward a Psychosociology of Contemporary Food Consumption’’, 2008
  • Pierre Bourdieu, Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgement of Taste, 1984
  • Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett, ‘’Playing to the Senses: Food as a Performance Medium’’, 1999
  • Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, The Futurist Cookbook, 1989
  • Yael Raviv, ‘’Eating My Words: Talking About Food in Performance’’, 2010
  • Nevena Stajcic, ‘’Understanding Culture: Food as a Means of Communication’’, 2013

This course is part of the Art Research Programme of the Lectorate Art Theory & Practice.