Food, Art, & Science Artifact
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Objective
- Examine methods for evaluating qualities of art, such as product versus process, the difference between craft and fine art, must art be archival, and what is an aesthetic reaction.
- Explore the notion of food as an artform.
- Consider cultural differences in the production and consumption food.
Reflection
The artifact “Food, Art, & Science” developed and reassured my understanding of food as a work of art and accomplished the objectives listed above. As stated in the “Food As Art” artifact, this particular assignment allowed me to delve deeper into the idea that food can be a work of art. I discovered and utilized a TED talk from Nathan Myhrvold (seen below) where he introduces his modernist cuisine and his scientific processes of food preparation.
In order to build upon the idea of food being an art form I looked to what Ellen Dissanayake refers to as art. In my post “What Is Art For?“, I evaluate Dissanayake’s ideas of the purpose of art in society and discuss several movements of art including modernism, postmodernism, and the renaissance era. This helped to solidify the objective: explore the notion of food as an artform.
I was also able to find a NY Times article by Dwight Garner about a 50 course meal Myhrvold prepared. After seeing the magnificent photos and reading mouthwatering descriptions I was able to apply knowledge from Dissanayake’s different art movements to find Myhrvold’s place in the art world, he is both modernist and postmodernist.
At the end of Garner’s NY Times article he jokes, “And yet well after midnight, I ducked out of my hotel room for a greasy cheeseburger at Dick’s, the venerable Seattle burger joint. I would return to Myhrvold’s table in a heartbeat. But that burger? No amount of brainiac twiddling could improve upon it. It was an uncomplicated revelation.” This comical realization by Garner goes to show that even the finest food art has it’s place in society but not even the worlds fanciest food can replace a the comfort of a cheeseburger. This revelation also aligned itself with the unit objective of examining methods for evaluating qualities of art, such as product versus process since the 2 meals Garner consumed were so aesthetically and inherently different in their process and presentation. This statement also relates back to the discussion of slow vs. fast food and their place in the art world, which is discussed in the post Food As Art.
Future Directions
In the future, I could look to different cultures and their views on food and whether or not they constitute it as art. For instance, in many Japanese cultures sushi is thought of as an art and takes skillful craftsmanship and years of apprenticeship. The documentary “Jiro Dreams of Sushi,” displays this nicely.
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Dissanayake, E. (1991). What is art for? In K. C. Caroll. Keynote adresses 1991, (pp.15-26). Reston, VA: National Art Education Association.
Garner, D. (2014, June 15). The End of Cuisine. The New York Times. Retrieved February 1, 2015.