Why is food important?
Nina Czegledy and Erika Pasztor

We are living in a transitory time when the consumption society attempts to return to a non-consumer culture. This challenge is closely connected to the notion of time and sustainability. The concept of sustainability has been around for a long time, however it has gained new momentum in the last decades. The new incentives are primary due to ecological disasters and the global financial crisis. Up till now comfort was a central motivating issue in the daily life of industrialized societies. This has now become a fight for survival. Of course food is one of the most significant factors in this fight. Ecological activism in art was evident earlier than other mainstream public manifestation and is widely expressed today more than ever before. Recently from Brisbane to Bratislava, the compelling representation of ecological artworks became a regular feature at festivals, exhibitions and other showcases. Many of these projects focus on the preparation and consumption of organically grown food. Beyond the approach and provocation by artists, the simple art of eating and drinking also prompts us to contemplate food on daily bases.

The presentation is centered on the concepts and illustrated practice involved with the issues outlined above.

BIOS

Nina Czegledy, award winning media artist, curator and educator works internationally on collaborative art& science& technology and educational projects. She has produced time based and digital projects and exhibited widely. Czegledy curated numerous international touring exhibitions and she has lead and participated in workshops, forums and festivals worldwide. Her academic lectures lead to numerous international publications in books and journals. Czegledy is affiliated with KMDI, University of Toronto, Concordia University, Montreal, The University of Fine Arts, Budapest, and is a Member of the Governing Board of Leonardo/ISAST.

Erika Pasztor is involved in architecture and media art culture, and - as an artist - in communication art projects. She is one of the founders (2000) of architectforum.hu. She currently works as an independent artist / researcher and as an art & architecture related journalist.
http://perika.epiteszforum.hu/perika_cv.html