Curatorial Projects > Let's Talk of a System (2010)

Laura Parker
Taste of Place (detail), 2006 - present
Mixed media installation and performance

"Taste of Place is an installation meant to stimulate public dialogue about food production and to ask two primary questions: How does soil touch our lives and affect our food; and why does it matter?

Am I expected to eat dirt? No, you will smell the soil and taste the food grown in it. Through this experience you will taste the soil.

What is a soil tasting? Soil, the medium of every farmer, makes up the palette that creates the distinction among growers. It differentiates between farms; between the family farm and agribusiness, sustainable practices and non-sustainable ones, the caretaker and the cavalier.

1) Smell the soil, develop your impressions
2) Taste food grown in the same soil and reflect on each, exploring the relationships.

You will be served soils from local farms. First the scent of the soil will be stimulated by adding a small amount of water and stirring to release the earth’s aromas as if from a fresh rain. Then you will smell, identify the scents you recognize, and note their properties. You will then be served food grown in the same soil you have just smelled. See if you can taste in the food the same properties you smelled in the soil. Please note your reactions and experiences." - Laura Parker

Let's Talk of a System

May 19 - July 3, 2010
Intersection for the Arts
San Francisco, CA