Fotograf Zone – Aaron Cezar a Dani Burrows, eds.

We are not only "what we eat" but we are also what we are forced to eat – through our cultural background, the geographical location we find ourselves at and, last but not least, our diet is guided by our wallets. This seemingly invisible infrastructure of food is uncovered in Politics of Food, published in 2019 by the London-based Delfina Foundation, which holds thematic programmes in addition to residencies and the organisation of (not only) artistic activities. The first of such programmes, launched in 2014 and still underway, deals specifically with the politics of food and its socio-artistic meanings. The resulting book is partly a catalogue of artistic activities, interventions, and artworks dealing with food, and also a collection containing interviews not only with artists but also with chefs and farmers. It can also serve as a sustainability guide to our diet in the near future.

Aaron Cezar a Dani Burrows, eds. Politics of Food. Berlín – Londýn: Sternberg Press – Delfina Foundation, 2019. ISBN 9783956795169

Tereza Špinková

is a theorist and curator. Currently she is studying for a doctorate at the Department of Environmental Studies at the Faculty of Social Studies, Masaryk University in Brno, where she deals primarily with the relationship between human and non-human entities.

#42 Food

Food is a basic physical need of every living creature. In the context of human society, issues around food and food security are seen as a continuous, necessary process associated with the production, distribution, presentation, consumption and disposal of goods and services. In this constellation, what role does photography play in recording and presenting representations of food and other associated themes related to food issues that address societal customs, traditions, and issues that cut across human and natural history? Food photography is almost never about the food itself. It relates to hierarchies, the division of roles in providing, preparing, serving, and making available one’s own consumption, both in domestic and public settings. It observes culture, structure, quality and targeting in relation to health and the environment. It looks at the professions associated with the phenomenon of food, highlighting open trade, the commerciality of sales, promotion; the importance, function and problematic nature of packaging and waste management. It is interested in the practices and quality of food management. We are witnessing the constant development of the cult of food and food excess. This is a massive expansion of food production, hand in hand with marketing strategies that contribute to a sufficiently authentic experience and convey the product as a unique experience enveloped in a range of positive emotions. The crunch of a crisp, the sound of opening a can of cold drink, the moment of smelling a cup of fresh coffee, the expansion of the taste buds after tasting a piece of chewing gum and the ever glistening, melting rich layer of cheese on a slice of ham pizza are the essential spices of these strategies based on working with the subconscious and reflexes. This is not the end of the spectrum of food-related issues, for on the other side of it is inevitably the starvation of millions of people that cannot be disregarded, the inability to provide affordable sustainable diets along with the biodiversity of ecosystems. What are the environmental challenges currently associated with food production and what will the diet of the future look like?