Edible Notions is an installation that explores differential perspectives through the medium of the common biomaterials of our food that have been heavily technologized. Beginning with the premise that perspectives represent our particular attitudes toward the world and shape our relationships with it, this installation prompts a reflection on which perspectives are being overlooked or have evolved over time. This inquiry is especially pertinent as these perspectives are being passed into the emerging technologies that will shape our future. For instance, the perspectives we embed in neural networks of artificial intelligence may perpetuate our biases or, alternatively, introduce diverse interpretations of events and objects. Edible Notions explores the biomaterials that create our food and dishes, taking a deeper look into their inner narratives, cultural and technological stories. The project seeks to draw parallels between our biological feed and the mental intake of thoughts, which populates the precarious or vast types of datasets feeding our current artificial intelligence networks. Through a dining experience featuring speculative dishes representing tomatoes, avocados, and psilocybin mushrooms, the artwork delves into the complex narratives of these biomaterials—stories of colonization, cultural significance, and technological reimagination. Accompanied by audiovisual elements, the installation invites visitors to reflect on the biases embedded in our food systems and how AI and technology can enhance, reveal, distort, or reshape these narratives. It’s a feast that challenges our understanding of daily objects of nurture.
This project was co-produced by Metamedia Association and V2_Lab for the Unstable Media as part of the Summer Sessions art and technology residencies.
