Welcome to the food court, a traditional gathering space where people eat a variety of meals, or not. While remembering our own experiences of eating in food courts, we also recalled doing other things there, killing time, studying, resting. Food courts are public spaces with a very particular aesthetic, differing from restaurants where it is not possible to stay for a prolonged period of time without buying anything, or combine food from different kitchens on one table. In preparing this workshop, we asked ourselves what the future of a food court could be. Outside of a capitalist function of generating rent and revenue, could it be a place for commoning, and forming community? Could you bring your own food and imagine other activities in the food court? Culture plays a large part in determining how one orients oneself towards food and cooking. Hunger is an impetus for cooking, not just to satisfy hunger, but to find pleasure in food and share it with others. We came here to find out, and sample the results. Food not included.
In a similar way, zines are produced out of a desire to directly communicate with a particular audience. They are made with an economy of time and materials, out of whatever is available. Zines are self-published, hand-made and low-cost, which makes their production and distribution easy. They can be made together with others from bits of paper you have around, such as supermarket catalogues, packaging, cut up photos, or other zines! Here, you can mix, match, ruminate and digest cheap materials we have in the food court, while discovering what's on offer at the local supermarkets. Bring your own appetite for fun.
The workshop will be based around a zine-making session, with discussions around certain prompts, ingredients and food for thought. The main question driving the session is What are you hungry for?
We will be using locally sourced supermarket catalogues, promotional magazines and coupon books from stores in the area, as well as other food packaging and materials. The zines will contain collages, stories, receipts on which people can document their answers and opinions to the prompts we provide. Depending on the amount of people present, we will be making one or more zines by hand each day.
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