ECA Jewellery and Silversmithing present: Tools for Consumption

This hybrid event (available in-person and online) will explore experimental approaches to enhancing or challenging experiences of food consumption, by rethinking eating tools and environments. Four invited speakers will discuss themes ranging from escapism to empathy, via materiality, tradition, ritual and design and the bodily humanness of eating.

The speakers will present new perspectives from their respective fields of expertise including curation, making, creative production rooted in science, sustainable sourcing and collaboration.

A Q&A session and a plenary discussion will follow the talks to further unpack the symposium themes chaired Lynne Craig (Deputy Director, Innovation, Edinburgh Futures Institute, Programme Director, Design Informatics).

Open and closing remarks will be delivered by symposium organiser Jennifer Gray (programme Director of the BA Jewellery and Silversmithing programme at Edinburgh College of Art).

Speakers

Steinbeisser

Steinbeisser was founded in 2009 by Jouw Wijnsma and Martin Kullik. In 2012 Steinbeisser launched the Experimental Gastronomy initiative based in Amsterdam and active around the world. Experimental Gastronomy brings together renowned chefs and artists for a one-of-a-kind culinary experience. Food and drinks are entirely plant-based (vegan) and sourced from local organic and biodynamic (Demeter) producers. Artists create cutlery and dishware that celebrates experimentation and the search for new ways to enjoy food. The dinners showcase contemporary cuisine at the highest level, uniting design, gastronomy, and nature.

May Rosenthal Sloan

May Rosenthal Sloan is an independent curator, writer and educator based in Glasgow. She co-curated the V&A exhibition FOOD: Bigger than the Plate (2019) and edited the volume London’s Kitchen: Industry, Culture and Space in Park Royal (2021). She was formerly a lecturer in Modern American History at the University of Glasgow and is a regular visiting lecturer at Glasgow School of Art. Her research interests are wide-ranging but include food and food systems, storytelling and constructions of identity, and the role of design and art in everyday life.

Scott King of Full Fathom

Scott King is a specialist in the creation of multisensory experiences. He explores the science of the senses, and how science can be harnessed to develop multisensory experiences that enhance perception of eating and drinking and also stimulate powerful emotions and associations.

Scott runs multisensory specialists Full Fathom, and has worked with chefs including Heston Blumenthal, brands including Diageo, Heineken and Unilever, and academic intuitions including Oxford University and University of London.

There will even be a few sensory experiences to demonstrate just how powerfully sound, touch, taste, vision and smell influence your perception, behaviour, and emotions.

Sarah Hurtigkarl

Sarah Hurtigkarl, an applied artist with a master's degree from the Royal College of Art, London. Her work encompasses tableware, sculpture and installations. Born in Copenhagen and based in Stockholm, she explores the significance of objects and the memories intertwined with their use. Captivated by the magical property of objects to preserve, her work often includes themes of escapism, norms and dining rituals. She upholds the value of handmade craftsmanship and sustainable production. Hurtigkarl's work pays homage to life's overlooked beauty. Drawing inspiration from a dreamlike realm, she transforms familiar objects, aiming to evoke daydreams and offer a momentary escape from reality.

Access

Please email eca.events@ed.ac.uk if you have any access requirements.

This is a hybrid event that is both online and in person. Further details will be shared nearer the time with more information.