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| foam_newsletter_winter_2013 [2013-12-12 09:16] – armormin | foam_newsletter_winter_2013 [2013-12-12 09:53] – armormin |
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| === Winter Newsletter 2013 draft === | === Winter Newsletter 2013 draft === |
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| While we contemplate slowing down and revaluing silence as the northern hemisphere descends into wintry hibernation, it's time look back on FoAM's bustling activities over the last months as well as look forward to what the new year brings. Travels, talks, workshops, celebrations, residencies (punctuated by copious EC reporting and accounting) -- there’s been much interesting ferment (and fermentation). Some things are simmering down, more bubbling up, and there's much that is quite new to all of us. At FoAM Brussels we continue to deepen and broaden our investigations in food and speculative culture. FoAM Kernow has found its niche in blending science, technology and the arts, thereby benefiting both the scientific community and wider society. FoAM Amsterdam is touring the world with Sphaerae, and FoAM Nordica consolidates its work on Foodprints. So without further ado, here’s a guided tour of the highlights. We hope you’ll be inspired, and be in touch! | While we contemplate slowing down and revaluing silence as the northern hemisphere descends into wintry hibernation, it's time look back on FoAM's bustling activities over the last months as well as look forward to what the new year brings. Travels, talks, workshops, celebrations, residencies (punctuated by copious EC reporting and accounting) -- there’s been much interesting ferment (and fermentation). Some things are simmering down, more is bubbling up, and there's much that is quite new to all of us. At FoAM Brussels we continue to deepen and broaden our investigations in food and speculative culture. FoAM Kernow has found its niche in blending science, technology and the arts, thereby benefiting both the scientific community and wider society. FoAM Amsterdam is touring the world with Sphaerae, and FoAM Nordica consolidates its work on Foodprints. So without further ado, here’s a guided tour of the highlights. We hope you’ll be inspired, and be in touch! |
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| == Food culture == | == Food culture == |
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| A colourful congregation of artists, scientists, technologists and enthusiasts came together at FoAM in Brussels to explore the fuzzy edges between the craft of fermentation, the science of biochemistry and the interesting socio-technological developments surrounding the phenomenon known as bio-hacking, biopunk or DIY biology in the **Biochymickal Arts** workshop this September. Led by Maria Tarantino, Meredith L. Patterson, Brian Degger and the core team of FoAM Brussels, the group spent a weekend of charged debate about such issues as the ethics of synthetic biology, biomimicry in design, fermented fish, and bacterial cultures in pickled vegetables. The workshop adopted the form of a curated open space, with several parallel experiments taking place in FoAM's kitchen and makeshift wetlab. The wetlab will remain operational until further notice, as several of the participants continue to perform biological experiments. If you are interested in using the lab, feel free to contact bxl@fo.am for more information. | A colourful congregation of artists, scientists, technologists and enthusiasts came together at FoAM in Brussels to explore the fuzzy edges between the craft of fermentation, the science of biochemistry and the interesting socio-technological developments surrounding the phenomenon known as bio-hacking, biopunk or DIY biology in the **[[http://fo.am/biochymickal-arts/|Biochymickal Arts workshop]]** this September. Led by [[http://tarantinofoodvice.wordpress.com/|Maria Tarantino]], [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meredith_L._Patterson|Meredith L. Patterson]], [[http://transitlab.org/|Brian Degger]] and the core team of FoAM Brussels, the group spent a weekend engaged in charged debate about such issues as the ethics of synthetic biology, biomimicry in design, fermented fish, and bacterial cultures in pickled vegetables. The workshop adopted the form of a curated open space, with several parallel experiments taking place in FoAM's kitchen and makeshift wetlab. The wetlab will remain operational until further notice, as several of the participants continue to perform biological experiments. If you are interested in using the lab, feel free to contact bxl@fo.am for more information. See also the [[http://lib.fo.am/biochymickal_arts_2013|notes, summaries and references]] emerging from the workshop, and the [[http://flickr.com/photos/foam/sets/72157635582680823/|Biochymickal Arts photos]] on Flickr. |
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| [[http://fo.am/biochymickal-arts/|Biochymickal Arts workshop]]\\ | After weeks of planning, preparation, testing, tasting, listening and above all cooking, we hosted **[[http://fo.am/smoke_vapour/|Smoke & Vapour]]**, two etherial evenings and degustation dinners dedicated to smoke and vapour in their many forms. Maja Kuzmanovic, Stevie Wishart, Rasa Alksnyte, Nik Gaffney and Alkan Chipperfield composed a synaesthetic experience where food and sound melted and evaporated into one other. On the first evening we invited guests from within the FoAM network who gave us feedback about the experience, based on which we tweaked various aspects of the dinner. Two days afterwards we hosted the wider public event, with visitors ranging from civil servants to food stylists, performance artists to food activists. We’re happy that both evenings were well received by our guests, and also gave us such exhilarating pleasure to produce and perform. You can find an 'insider's perspective' of Smoke & Vapour's creation in [[http://fo.am/blog/2013/12/09/creating-smoke-vapour/|Maja’s blog post]], browse the [[http://libarynth.org/open_sauces:smoke_vapour|documentation of the process, inspirations, and specially designed recipes]], and peruse the [[http://www.flickr.com/photos/foam/sets/72157635490865219/|photos spanning the entire production]]. Nik Gaffney and Dave Griffiths are currently working on the Open Sauces website, where these and other of FoAM's recipes and food-related information will migrate in 2014. |
| [[http://lib.fo.am/biochymickal_arts_2013|Notes, summaries and references]]\\ | |
| [[http://flickr.com/photos/foam/sets/72157635582680823/|Biochymickal Arts on Flickr]]\\ | |
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| http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meredith_L._Patterson About Meredith\\ | FoAM Nordica’s **[[http://fo.am/foodprints-book/|Foodprints publication]]** by Anna Maria Orru, Johan Zetterquist and David Relan has made it onto printed paper, and looks great. Examining the role of food in urban renewal, it represents the nourishing culmination of many projects, people, networks and ideas in the field. Meanwhile, a prototype app and website of the [[http://payload19.cargocollective.com/1/6/195556/2699591/Foodprints_ruler%20cover.jpg|Foodprints Ruler]] is in the making. Anna Maria talked about it recently at the [[http://www.shifts.se/|Switched on nature]] event at Shift in the Stockholm Resilience centre, where they've been hacking the space between nature and technology on themes of resilience. |
| http://tarantinofoodvice.wordpress.com/ About Maria\\ | |
| http://transitlab.org/ About Brian\\ | |
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| After weeks of planning, preparation, testing, tasting, listening and above all cooking, we hosted **Smoke & Vapour**, two etherial evenings and degustation dinners dedicated to smoke and vapour in their many forms. Maja Kuzmanovic, Stevie Wishart, Rasa Alksnyte, Nik Gaffney and Alkan Chipperfield composed a synaesthetic experience where food and sound melted and evaporated into one other. On the first evening we invited guests from within the FoAM network who gave us feedback about the experience, based on which we tweaked various aspects of the dinner. Two days afterwards we hosted the wider public event, with visitors ranging from civil servants to food stylists, performance artists to food activists. We’re happy that both evenings were well received by our guests, and also gave us such exhilarating pleasure to produce and perform. You can find an 'insider's perspective' of Smoke & Vapour's creation in Maja’s blog post, as well as browse the collection of specially designed recipes for the event. Nik Gaffney and Dave Griffiths are currently working on the Open Sauces website, where these and other of FoAM's recipes and food-related information will migrate in 2014. | |
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| [[http://fo.am/smoke_vapour/|Smoke & Vapour]] event\\ | |
| [[http://libarynth.org/open_sauces:smoke_vapour|Documentation, process, inspirations and recipes]]\\ | |
| [[http://www.flickr.com/photos/foam/sets/72157635490865219/|Smoke & Vapour photos]] on Flickr\\ | |
| [[http://fo.am/blog/2013/12/09/creating-smoke-vapour/|Creating Smoke & Vapour]] | |
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| FoAM Nordica’s **Foodprints publication** by Anna Maria Orru, Johan Zetterquist and David Relan has made it onto printed paper, and looks great. Examining the role of food in urban renewal, it represents the nourishing culmination of many projects, people, networks and ideas in the field. Meanwhile, a prototype app and website of the Foodprints Ruler is in the making. Anna Maria talked about it recently at the Switched on Nature event at Shift in the Stockholm Resilience centre, where they've been hacking the space between nature and technology on themes of resilience. | |
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| [[http://fo.am/foodprints-book/|Foodprints]]\\ | |
| [[http://www.shifts.se/|Switched on nature]]\\ | |
| [[http://payload19.cargocollective.com/1/6/195556/2699591/Foodprints_ruler%20cover.jpg|Foodprints Ruler]]\\ | |
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| == Speculative culture == | == Speculative culture == |
| [[http://fo.am/family-microresidency-declerck/|Lies and Adi Declerck's microresidency]]\\ | [[http://fo.am/family-microresidency-declerck/|Lies and Adi Declerck's microresidency]]\\ |
| [[http://fo.am/coaching|Coaching with Vali Lalioti]]\\ | [[http://fo.am/coaching|Coaching with Vali Lalioti]]\\ |
| [[luea]] | [[http://fo.am/macrotransiency-luea-ritter/|Luea's macrotransiency]] |
| | [[http://fo.am/macrotransiency-michka-melo/|Michka's macrotransiency]] |
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| Finally -- you might laugh after reading all of the above -- we are working hard on a new field of study at FoAM: **Doing Nothing**. In view of the malaise fuelled by stress, overwork, financial and social uncertainty and other well-known pain points pervading the cultural sector (though also the wider society of Europe and beyond), FoAM has initiated a practice-based research programme on how to do nothing: creating space and time to decompress amidst our hectic lives. So far the research has looked at how to do this on a daily basis at a microcosmic scale, in FoAM itself, but in 2014--2015 the programme will be extended. In the spirit of Doing Nothing, we may not document it explicitly or extensively, but we do encourage you to browse some of the exercises and inspirations that have begun to amass on the project's dedicated Libarynth page. | Finally -- you might laugh after reading all of the above -- we are working hard on a new field of study at FoAM: **Doing Nothing**. In view of the malaise fuelled by stress, overwork, financial and social uncertainty and other well-known pain points pervading the cultural sector (though also the wider society of Europe and beyond), FoAM has initiated a practice-based research programme on how to do nothing: creating space and time to decompress amidst our hectic lives. So far the research has looked at how to do this on a daily basis at a microcosmic scale, in FoAM itself, but in 2014--2015 the programme will be extended. In the spirit of Doing Nothing, we may not document it explicitly or extensively, but we do encourage you to browse some of the exercises and inspirations that have begun to amass on the project's dedicated Libarynth page. |
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| To conclude this newsletter, we'd like to wish you a wonderful Yuletide and a beautiful 2014, with much space for speculation, experimentation, good food, fun and games. But above all else we wish you plentiful time to do nothing and enjoy the abundance of life, whatever it may bring. Looking forward to seeing you on the other side of the holidays, in person or online… | To conclude this newsletter, we'd like to wish you a wonderful Yuletide and a beautiful 2014, with much space for speculation, experimentation, good food, fun and games. But above all else we wish you plentiful time to do nothing and enjoy the abundance of life, whatever it may bring. Looking forward to seeing you on the other side of the holidays, in person or online… |
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nik