Technically Delicious Subcultures of the Anthropocene
Tags: Food, Future, Art, Speculative Design, Environmental Issues

There exists interdependent actors which fuel systemic infrastructures. Frequently scaffolded or even omitted from this conversation is the social, cultural, and political vehicles driving human activity on the Earth.

Except from CUNY Graduate Program The Journal American Drama & Theatre Food Futures: Speculative Performance in the Anthropocene by Shelby Brewster

“Although capitalism is inextricably bound up in the Anthropocene, Haraway and Moore’s formulation of the Capitalocene is not sufficient to address its effects. As Dipesh Chakrabarty eloquently demonstrates, any critique of the Anthropocene that solely addresses global capitalism remains lacking: “these critiques do not give us an adequate hold on human history once we accept that the crisis of climate change is here with us and may exist as part of this planet for much longer than capitalism or long after capitalism has undergone many more historic mutations.” A history of the Anthropocene must also take the long view of deep history and consider humans as a species” [1]

Given the radical social shifts arising during the COVID-19 pandemic, historic mutations within capitalism still remains to be seen. During this time, we are reminded of our basic needs as our assumed sense of security and normalcy comes under strain. Yet for many, uncertainty is not a novel experience and is posing a greater challenge during a time of crisis. We are witnessing a break down of constructs we assumed were static and enduring. Subcultures of the Anthropocene includes works which highlight the gaps and disparities which have always existed within anthropocene politics. It surveys alternative view points and critical think pieces assessing how we view ourselves in relation to our living ecologies.

Genomic Gastronomy is a collective studying environments and organisms manipulated by human food cultures. Smog Tasting samples air pollution from different cities crafting the extraction into a fluffy meringue. In its sweet frothy form, the work builds tension between that which we find acceptable and the boundaries of our dis- comfort.

A project by: Center for Genomic Gastronomy and Edible Geography & Commissioned by:

Ilari Laamanen and Leena-Maija Rossi for FCINY

According to Ilari Laamanen, New York based curator “The Center for Genomic Gastronomy and Edible Geography hope that the meringues serve as a kind of “Trojan treat,” raising awareness of the impact and ubiquity of air pol- lution. Inhaling smog over extended periods is extremely damaging to human health. In New York City, which has the 12th worst ozone levels in the nation according to the American Lung Association’s Annual “State of the Air” report, air pollution levels are highest in neighborhoods that are majority non-white and low-income — a particularly insidious form of environmental in- justice. By transforming the largely unconscious process of breathing to the conscious act of eating, the smog-tasting cart creates a viscer- al, thought-provoking interaction with the air all around us.”

The social implications of the anthropocene manifest through socio-economic disparity. Low income areas occupied by brown people are the most heavily impacted by hyper-capitalist infrastructures — rendering “smog tasting” a more bitter than sweet commentary.

This is an excerpt taken from Technically Delicious publication — launching in July