DMS 517 Food And Emerging Media

Session J
Bardin :: Online Course
reg#11020
A course dedicated to exploring the role of emerging media and new technology on the exploration and articulation of topics focussing on the many facets of food. We will be looking at artists who utilize technology to explore and in many cases expose issues within our tightly veiled food production systems. These artists include /The Critical Art Ensemble/ and their “Free Range Grains”/ / project which explores the topic of genetically modified food, /The Yes Men/ and their piece “Re-burger” which addresses issues of starvation in third world countries and the/ //Future Farmers/ who create work that challenge current social, political and economic systems. The course will also focus on issues of /Sustainablity/ and artists who are currently using their practice to explore ways of improving upon food production and distribution models. We will also be looking at the ways chefs, academics and independent acolytes use the Internet to publicize their work, writings and interests and how this medium has influenced the gastronomic landscape. These platforms include the /Association for the Study of Food and Society/ (ASFS) listserv, MIT’s /Counter Intelligence Group/ which focuses on technological approaches to functional, cognitive, and social support in the home and sites like /Ideas in Food/ where Aki Kamozawa and H. Alexander Talbot write in detail on their experiments in flavor and composition. Through a rigorous practice of watching, investigating, talking and writing about artists, chefs, culinary scholars and DIY individuals who utilize media in their discussion, research, profession and practice of food related endeavors, students will gain insight into how these emerging technologies and artistic practices influence the realm of gastronomy as well as the food we eat.Fulfills Advanced Analysis or Media Study Elective