At University of Fine Arts, Hamburg, Alexa offered an experimental, interdisciplinary project with the working title "EatArt". Besides inviting a cook and a philosopher to join the project as guest contributors, Alexa encouraged students of all faculties and grades to participate in the assignment. A 16m² exhibition space at the Berlin Design Week was booked in advance by Alexa, limiting the time frame to four weeks until presentation to the public.
For preparation, the students drank tea out of plates, ate soups with straws, prepared socks with Balsamico or used a laundry dryer to dry their salad. They ingested quantities of food, talked about synaesthesia, futurism, Daniel Spoerri and Ferran Adrià. Discussions over cultural patterns, food packaging, aesthetic of instant noodles and personal diet were originators for several concept drafts.
Finally, a giant soup plate was chosen, which invites people to sit tightly next to each other and offers to share soup and spend time together. Giving place for twelve guests, the plate features a diameter of 1,4m - holding 40 liters of soup.
Initially it serves soup for everyone - but with uneven distribution. The guests sitting at the already shallow side of the plate have no possibility to keep soup on their side. As the level lowers, the soup pours to the immersion on the opposite side, resulting in a thrilling social experiment with connotations to globalization. -On which side of the plate are you?
Student participants: Alexej Hermann, David Burkhardt, Esther Stühmer, Philippe Nielsen, Seyon Han, Stella Dahms.
