Giovanni
Uche
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Giovanni
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Food Fer Thought: A Socially Engaged Art Project.
2023
A socially engaged art project, exploring food’s place as a social lubricant within community and communication. I set out to organise an event that would explore this in action.
Inspired by the works of artists like Rirkrit Tiravanija, Martino Gamper and Allan Kaprow, This has been my first forray into Socially engaged art. Food Fer Thought was set up as an event, to welcome strangers to enjoy the same meal, while existing in the same space, with no barrier for entry besides answering the question - What brought you here? and of course physical access to the space. Also exploring at what point does the artist begin and the audience end.
The project was set up in my studio, transforming the space into a de-facto eatery. My role as artist was perfumatory, I served food and asked questions. I wanted this project to have as little structure and interruption by myself as possible, besides allowing for the space and food, It was to explore what depths of familiarity will be born of it.
I served Rice & Stew, a simple Nigerian comfort food that can easily be prepared for a large group. I kept the meal simple as too not distract too much from the social aspect but yet support the homely feel I intended to create. I considered serving other types of food but this choice was to put part of myself into the work.
Project link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/food-fer-thought-a-socially-engaged-art-project-tickets-763943945907
Project Description:
Food Fer Thought -A socially engaged art project
Born out of the joy and warmth food brings to a space. This 2-hour event explores that. Set in a neutral space where the seating, music, and food have been prepared by the artist, we explore how eating the same food in the same space affects you the participants, and the feelings born out of this. Food is kept simple so as not to take away from the social aspect, a Nigerian staple of Rice and Stew only.
The event and food will be free monetarily, you simply have to pay by answering the question the artist sets for you.
Join us for what is to be an interesting and unforgettable evening This in-person event is set to take place on Fri Dec 15 2023 at 19:00 GMT at 24a Darlington St, Wolverhampton WV1 4HW.
The event will be documented and only be used as a portfolio piece and graded as an MA project. So do come if you are comfortable appearing in photographs and recordings.
Do take note the venue is old and has no extra-accessibility features.
This was the description participants had access to via the Eventbrite page & Instagram Posts.
I put time into making it clear what the event would be about, where it was taking place, at what time and most importantly information on the venues accessibility, which was another barrier for entry.Sketch and design variations for the Poster.
Visual references for the poster.
Informal, clear, bright and intimate.
Besides the photos taken, the poster was the only visual work I made for this project. It is made to encapsulate everything that the event is, through text, shape and colour. The images below show early sketch explorations and the variations I made for to be distributed on different social media channels i.e. Eventbrite and Instagram.
I centred the poster around the bowl of rice, Initial sketches included stew as well but it is red and would clash too much with the red background I had in mind. I played around with different angles of the food and how it's position would play alongside the text, it was also very important to have open hands that were in the process of either giving or receiving the food.
Before this project I hadn't been familiar with socially engaged art, or had previously associated only with performance, has really shifted my outlook on what art can be. It's opened my eyes to new ways of perceiving the world and considering different philosophies related to art.
The poster was my first visual art, created for this project. It’s vital role in making clear the aspects of the project visually.
The project’s final form was dually inspired by Rirkrit’s, Untitled Free/Still and the Buka’s of Nigeria, Both essentially informal and communal eating spaces.
In looking for references for the poster, I strived to explore a design that made clear the informal and Afro-Centric nature of the project, colour, shapes and text. I came across the work of Congolese-British Artist Joy Miessi and a collection of other collage and poster works being used for .
The giving and sharing of food was essential in the design, thus the incorporation of a hand giving and sharing food. Playing around with different ways to create this impression, the video shows my photographic and illustrative exploration. I am very happy with the final pieces one of my favourite posters in some time.
MARKETING AND OUTREACH
The vast amount of the outreach for this project was done organically, restricted by time and budget. I had plans of printing out the poster and handing them out in public space’s initially, but with limited seating this had to be scrapped.
I decided to focus my efforts online, using my personal Instagram page and Eventbrite. I was grateful quite a few of my friends and followers of my work shared and promoted my work through Instagram’s story function. This led to 12/15 tickets (all tickets were free) being acquired, optimistic for a little more than half making it to the venue. We had 4 people arrive, 2 at the time of the event start and 2 near the end. This was somewhat disappointing as I had laid out the plans through the evening, but those who helped me during the day took part in the event as well.
The vast amount of the outreach for this project was done organically, restricted by time and budget. I had plans of printing out the poster and handing them out in public space’s initially, but with limited seating this had to be scrapped.
I decided to focus my efforts online, using my personal Instagram page and Eventbrite. I was grateful quite a few of my friends and followers of my work shared and promoted my work through Instagram’s story function. This led to 12/15 tickets (all tickets were free) being acquired, optimistic for a little more than half making it to the venue. We had 4 people arrive, 2 at the time of the event start and 2 near the end. This was somewhat disappointing as I had laid out the plans through the evening, but those who helped me during the day took part in the event as well.
Why that Venue?
I was asked by my tutor if it would be easier to host the event on University grounds instead? I believe it would have in a sense of organising, but less so for transporting the food. I was also more motivated to organise every part of the event myself, if not just to build the muscle and execute something new. I chose to hold it at my studio building, cleared it with the studio directors and set a date.
On the day of the event
I prepared the meal and did my best to document the process as I went along, taking pictures of each ingredient and equipment used, In this case a large pot and a sports mixer. Once the food was made It was packed up and transported to the venue. The space had to be rearranged to allow for a corner that I would set my self up in and in a way that had participants seating closer together, the physical closeness was important to avoid people feeling disconnected from each other, My partner, a friend and I spent a couple hours before setting up everything. We placed a heater, drinks and a record player in the room to promote a comfortable environment.
Event Photos
I am grateful for the support I was able to receive for the activation of this project, and of the willing participant’s who took part in this exploration. There were mistakes made and things I didn’t have under control, such as assuming the each person who procured a ticket would arrive, I should have been much more active in terms of marketing.
Closing Interviews
Closing interviews were made in my studio room, I should have spent more time planning out how this was done, as I directed it very haphazardly, but it worked out’ using a DSLR camera and it’s inbuilt mic. I was able to get an idea of everyone's feeling towards the project.
In summary I am satisfied with how the event came together, although I would like to take it a step further and take more time in terms of planning and preparation. I would say this project was a performance, I may have directed it but I was not the only artist within the space, everyone who took part and gave some of them selves to the event were in themselves, art, artist and audience.