The future of food has become a crucial topic for debate and action. Every aspect of food, from how we grow it to what we do with it, is becoming more complex daily. A recent exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London addresses many of these issues and the need for a new dialogue. Food dominates our cultures, celebrates our successes and, in our social media age, can even define our identities. The future of food is something that impacts everyone and needs to be redefined for our modern society.
In the Food: Bigger than the Plate exhibition at the V&A, art and demonstrations invite us to look at food in a new and sometimes surprising way. The image above is from the exhibit and shows how you can use coffee grounds to make useful daily items. In another experiment, the cafe at the museum hung bags of used coffee grounds in a dark room to grow oyster mushrooms that would then be served at the restaurant. The idea of repurposing our food and not wasting is a more sustainable, modern approach we need to put into action. This exhibit could not be more timely, and I highly commend the V&A for curating this exhibition.
In this thought provoking show, you are guided through art, video, and live demonstrations showing ideas and possibilities for the future of food. Artists are choosing food as a subject they can not only create with but make an impact as well. From composting to farming to trading to cooking and finally to eating, food impacts all of our lives. As the global challenges involving food continue to grow, we need to think carefully about how what we eat is produced and how we can maintain a healthy, nourishing, and fair source of supply for all.
Sharing meals with family and friends or colleagues is one of life’s great pleasures. It not only nourishes our minds but improves our physical health. This exhibition asks compelling questions and presents possible alternatives to reshaping our attitude towards food sustainability and readapting our consumption to protect and preserve our environment.