Devouring: A participatory performance that combines art, science, and culinary arts

It is the moment just before — that electric pause — when desire intensifies into craving, and we hover on the edge of indulgence. The kiss comes before the bite, but what does it mean to devour a body?

Eating engages all five senses, drawing us into a world where food becomes more than nourishment — a gateway to memory, emotion, and sensation. Each bite triggers a flood of associations, as we balance between consuming and being consumed, between merging and rejecting.

The concept of this participatory performance, developed by Blanka Major, weaves together medical ethics, visual arts, poetry, gastroenterology, scenography, music, and culinary arts. This unique fusion creates a transdisciplinary exploration of the body as a landscape, beginning with the act of communal dining. Each course invites guests to immerse themselves in the world of a specific organ—ranging from the skin, flesh, lungs, and heart to the brain and bones.

In culinary terms, these organs are represented by nori and fried rice sheets, oyster mushrooms, snow fungus, beetroot, baked cauliflower, and meringue, enhanced with ingredients that promote organ health—such as omega-3 fatty acids, known for their potential benefits to the brain.
Scientific and artistic contributions further expand on the idea of the body as both a social and medical landscape. Professor Nikola Biller-Andorno, a biomedical ethics expert, explores the societal and ethical dimensions of breast milk in her talk. Meanwhile, Professor Michael Scharl, a gastroenterologist and hepatologist, sheds light on the often-overlooked microbiome, offering guests a fresh perspective on digestion.

Tatjana Blaser's reading of a poetic text inspired by the menu sparks imagination far beyond the dishes. Similarly, Johanna Hullár’s first live-streamed visual work translates the culinary landscapes into the room. The microscopic close-ups projected onto canvases focus on interwoven colors, shapes, and textures within a glass case. Through additional projections outside the cafeteria, the various states of matter expand the physical space, transitioning from the warm indoor atmosphere to the cold, snowy outdoor environment of the atrium.

This immersive experience combines sense-deepening food, horizon-expanding contributions, lively conversations, and visually and audibly stimulating artworks. Here, not only a body was "consumed” but so much more. 

The Art x Science Dinner took place under the artistic direction of Blanka Major, in collaboration with the Art x Science Office at the University of Zurich and the ZFV.

23.11.2024, 18:00 Green Kitchen Lab, UZH Campus Irchel

UZH News article: Ein Menü aus verschiedenen Disziplinen

With

Prof. Dr. med. Dr. phil Nikola Biller-Andorno - Director of the Institute for Biomedical Ethics and History of Medicine (IBME)
Prof. Dr. med. Michael Scharl - Senior Physician, Clinic for Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Head of the Scharl Lab
Johanna Hullár - Artist / Photography and Video Installation
Tatjana Blaser - Writer
Mischa Heil, Craig Armstrong - ZFV / Culinary Team
Cassandra Hänggi - Culinary team / Recipe Development
Franz-Josef Dörig - Head of Service

Blanka Major - Artistic Director / Menu / Room Concept / Architect