Resilients Salon at Burning Ice

FoAM hosts a conversation about human-plant interactions in gardens, labs and kitchens, with the Center for Genomic Gastronomy, Angelo Vermeulen, Time's Up, nadine on the closing evening of the Burning Ice Festival in Brussels.

"I propose that we should adopt the plant as the organizational model for life in the twenty-first century, just as the computer seems to be the dominant mental/social model of the late twentieth century, and the steam engine was the guiding image of the nineteenth century. This means reaching back in time to models that were successful fifteen thousand to twenty thousand years ago. When this is done it becomes possible to see plants as food, shelter, clothing, and sources of education and religion.” -Terrence McKenna

At the epicentre of culture, gardening and technology we might be able to glimpse how plants can become organisational principles for human society in the turbulent times of the 21st century. Although we have to scavenge the fringes of contemporary society, we can observe many healing effects that humans can have on their surroundings through a symbiotic collaboration with plants. However, on a holistic level, we still don’t know how to overhaul wasteful human behaviours en masse. How do we encourage a more resilient culture, so that humans and non-humans can continue living, preferably together? How do we stimulate a fertile entanglement of culture, gardening and technology that can give the rise to diverse communities of practice? Communities capable of forging symbiotic relationships between post-industrial human societies and the rest of the earth. Composting bitterness to grow beauty.

To explore possible answers to such questions, FoAM hosts a Resilients Salon on Vegetal Culture, in conversation with Center for Genomic Gastronomy, Angelo Vermeulen, Time's Up, nadine and other participants of Burning Ice. The atmosphere is casual to inspire participation of everyone involved, accompanied with thematic food and drinks.  Inspired by the title of the festival – We The Gardeners – FoAM invites all guests to bring one or more tomatoes from their garden, windowsill, or a neighbourhood green-grocer, as an entrance-fee. During the salon the tomatoes will be cooked into a soup and shared with everyone, as a closing feast of Burning Ice 2012.

This salon is a part of the pan-European Resilients Project where six organisations speculate on and experiment with possible futures.

With the support of The Culture 2000 Programme of the European Commission and Flemish Authorities.