Consuming is an integral part of sustaining life. What and how we eat reflects who we are. The body is an engine that is fueled by nutrients, the essential sustenance of the living organism. It is a primary need but it has come to represent much more than preservation. Eating intersects with religious beliefs, cultural identity, social economic conditions, and reflects societal ideals relating to body image. Social classes are distinguished by the entrées eaten or denied. Marie Antoinette said “Let them eat cake” to the masses who were not so privileged. Some lands have stopped yielding the life giving necessity, and economic conditions keep many from acquiring proper nutrients. Locations define the foods of our cultures; the origins of ethnic foods are rooted in what was available in the region to eat. One of the oldest religious adaptations of eating is for ritualistic purposes. Rituals include offering food to the Gods, food blessed by God, and consuming food to represent the body of God. North American diets are influenced by the psychological impact of advertising, while fashion reinforces a malnourished body image. Eating disorders are becoming common.
Dinner @ 5 invites five artists to dine with/for the audience at 5 pm, an unorthodox and even inconvenient hour for the audience, as it is a traditional feeding time. For the adventurous consumer, however, the artists stir up some eats of intellectual satisfaction,. I do hope the audience can digest the heaping portions of tantalizing interpretations of Dinner @ 5.
@ 87 Wade Ave, 3rd floor
Sunday August 23 5 pm
A program of the the 2nd 7a*11d International Festival of Performance Art
Curated by Terril-Lee W. CALDER
Koren BELLMAN (Toronto)
The Disciplinary Lounge
May CHAN (Kingston ON)
Hong Kong and Me
Paul COUILLARD (Toronto)
Bachelor Party
Ken GREGORY (Winnipeg MB)
Twelve Stations of the Cross
Anne-Marie HOOD w/ Michelle BAKIC (Toronto)
…Of Necessity
plus tables by visual artists Peter FLEMMING, Dave FUJII w/ Sam BIETENHOLZ, Toshimi MITSUI, and Donnely SMALLWOOD (all Toronto).