Down to Earth : Changing the way we eat

Throughout this evening, with intricately designed ceramics by Anfossi and a carefully curated menu, each course will explore a different aspect of this journey, examining the most detrimental farming practices causing ecological collapse and the diverse techniques that might feed us into the future. Expect 'pesticide' sprays, edible soils, cakes of diverse grains, and fermented brews. Francesca has made a new series of ceramic plates, platters and spoons specifically responding to the theme of the dinner, focused on the cycle from seed to plate. Hand made in terracotta with cut-out shapes of vegetables, mushroom and seeds, offering a visual and tactile celebration of agriculture and seed cultivation. The immersive dining experience with an uniquely curated menu by Barney and project management by Huma, where the presentation of food on these plates and platters enhances the thematic connection between what we eat and how it is grown. Diners are invited to appreciate the flavours and textures of their meals by using Anfossi’s sensorial spoons, but also hoping to appreciate the agricultural heritage and effort that bring food to their tables. This event will also feature a range of e5's sourdough bread, made using a 200-year-old starter and baked using in-house milled grains sourced from regenerative growers. Guests will also be able to take home with them a slight surprise to continue their exploration of regenerative grain growing. Each ticket includes four courses of plant-based food, a riso-print booklet, a delicious digestif, and a surprise interactive ceramic gift to take home. Special partners include Haeckels, a natural skin care and wild fragrance company based in Margate and Hodmedod's, working with British farmers to provide pulses and grains from fair and sustainable UK production, organic where possible. Artist statements Barney Pau (he/they) is a creative working at the confluence of food and art, and writing, whose practice focuses on food futures, queering consumption, the history of agriculture, and foraging and fermenting as social resistance. Pau believes that food, in its ubiquity, transcends language, and by applying its powers of communication as a medium, it is possible to impart the wisdom of sustainable consumption to others. In 2021 he founded Finger Food Magazine: a contributor focussed space for stories, artwork, and essays, in any and all mediums, exploring cooking, craft, and creation. Francesca Anfossi’s ( she/her) interdisciplinary practice takes the tradition of crafts as a starting point to make and collaborate, using ceramic as a core material. Inspired by the very nature of clay — a versatile, inclusive and non-hierarchical material — her various projects are conceived in direct collaboration with communities and evolve according to their needs. Her work most often takes the form of workshops, cooking classes or communal events, and offers to the participants involved opportunities to learn new skills and form new social bonds. Huma Kabakcı (she/her) is a Turkish-British curator, custodian to a family collection and former founding director of Open Space, living and working in London. Huma has worked at commercial galleries, biennials, museums and auction houses, both in the UK and Turkey, in many different capacities, fostering creative dialogue and meaningful collaboration. Her curatorial interest lies in creating immersive experiences, themes around conviviality and a wider dialogue in collaboration with multidisciplinary practitioners. Huma's key areas of interest and knowledge focus on conviviality, diaspora, migration, gender & identity politics, food as a medium and hospitality.