Food as Sculpture since 1960 (VMS-0128)

Spring 2025 · VMS 0128 · Tufts University · 3 credits · Undergraduate

An unprecedented attention has been paid to Food as a form of art in the past few years. This seminar explores recent curatorial, theoretical and historical contributions on this topic. We will look at food as a subject for Pop sculpture; the incorporation of food in New Realists ready mades; food as edible material for three dimensional work; ingestion, food and the body in sculptural and performative pieces; feminist installation art and references to the kitchen; artist restaurants, food and counterculture; food decay in sculptural works, as a signifier of time or trigger of disgust; gardening and farming as social sculpture; and relational projects using cooking and dining as tools for community building. The readings assigned will address theoretical aspects, such as the aesthetic and phenomenological experience of taste; memory and everyday foods; identity politics; and relational aesthetics. The list of artists discussed includes: Claes Oldenburg; Carolee Schneemann; Hannah Wilke; Janine Antoni; Robin Weltsch and Vicki Hodgetts; Gordon Matta Clark; Allen Ruppersberg; Paul McCarthy; Joseph Beuys; Rirkrit Tiravanija; Andi Sutton; and Michael Rakovitz. The class features two small group discussion sessions with scientists at the Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging in Chinatown to consider the possible intersections of food-based art and nutrition science. We will also develop a final community-based project in collaboration with a community partner in Chinatown, to bring HNRCA in dialogue with a neighboring association through forms of creative expression.

Course codes: VMS-0128, VMS 0128, VMS0128, VMS-128, VMS 128, VMS128, ENV-0128, ENV 0128, ENV0128, ENV-128, ENV 128, ENV128

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