In the framework of the European STARTS in the City residencies program, artist collective Futurefarmers, together with artists Honoré D’o, Inge Braeckman and farmer Tijs Boelens of deGroentelaar farm, are selected for the residency “Where our food comes from”. This highly collaborative residency is hosted by GLUON and Innoviris with the support of cultural centre 404, the National Lottery and UGhent. In collaboration with a regional network of industry partners, companies, knowlegde centers and research institutions, Futurefarmers will explore how we might enhance transparency and collaboration in the Brussels food system, ensuring a seamless journey from farm to table?
Project description
In the Belly of the City is a solar-powered, floating platform that moves along the Brussels–Charleroi Canal between Halle and Brussels. It is a public sculpture, a living lab and a functional food transport vessel. In the Belly of the City transports organic food produced (by a network of farmers in the Pajottenland) and hosts a constellation of artists on board. In the Belly of the City is both an artwork and a tool – a call to action to reconsider our food systems, reimagine food production and activate pathways between farmers and consumers. In the Belly of the City is literally and figuratively a platform for bringing this conversation into the public sphere. Onboard, In the Belly of the City hosts a transdisciplinary group of artists, writers, farmers, policymakers, designers and cyber-feminists. As a site which moves through time and space, In the Belly of the City expands the presence of art (and role of art as a transformative practice) into the public domain. The onboard artists move upon overlapping conceptual transects related to systems of food production and consumption and interact with each other’s practices forming a total collaborative environment. Each artist will perform their work and open it up to the public through hands-on workshops and public events.
About the artist
Futurefarmers is a group of diverse practitioners aligned through an interest in making work that is relevant to a particular time and place. Founded in 1995, in San Francisco, Futurefarmers is a platform for collaboration among artists, anthropologists, writers, designers, architects, and farmers. Together, they create participatory projects that open up spaces and experiences where the logic of a situation disappears—encounters occur that broaden perspectives and destabilize logics of certainty. They have disassembled food systems, public transportation, and rural farming networks to visualize and understand their intrinsic logics. The work often provides a playful entry point and tools for participants to gain insight into deeper fields of inquiry—not only to imagine, but to participate in and initiate change in the places they live. Their temporary public art often evolves into permanent, durable programs which have influence on public policy and city design.
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