Since we began the First Food Residency, we have received positive and generous feedback, as well as support in print and online media.
Here are a few quotes from recent feedback:
“The experience of our collaboration within the First Food project this year has been incredibly useful to Chelsea College of Arts in extending our international relationships and opportunities. We have invested time and energy in building cultural relationships with Mexico as we believe that its creative climate has relevance for contemporary art and beyond. We were very pleased to welcome Chucho Caza and Victor Bobadilla to the Chelsea campus. They offered friendship and inspiring insight to our students on the subject matter of food culture through discussion and artistic interaction. Chelsea was delighted to be able to offer a platform for research in a creative environment that could extend the skills of the First Food residents in this year, and hope to increase our involvement in the coming years.” George Blacklock (Dean of Chelsea College of Art)
“I think the show was a great success and on both occasions I got a very happy impression of how much the Mexican artists had enjoyed their residencies and how well they had bonded as a group.” Kate Arnold Forster ( Director of MERL).
"The exhibition brought to the town by Antonia Bruce and Anna Bruce shows 5 Mexican artists response to the relationship between all aspects of food in British life and culture. What the exhibition proves is that quality visual Art shows do not have to be on a grand scale to be worthy of a visit or of critical acclaim. What they need and this show had in abundance is a combination of intellect, craftsmanship and originality.
“Food in the Frame” has given me hope and food for thought, beyond the obvious and natural context of sustenance, from food’s spiritual and ritual foundations to the social, economic and environmental placements – Bravo; a small but potent exhibition of extraordinary insight and vision.”
Colin Hill (Reading Local who attended the 2016 exhibition)
“During my facilitation role in the project I guided the residents through the issues present in modern British dairy farming. However the residents were interested in many aspects of food, farming and agriculture. I took great enthusiasm in helping them explore the local landscape in conjunction with objects and artefacts of 19th and 20th century held at the Museum of English Rural life. It has been amazing opportunity to showcase our innovative agricultural heritage as well as to learn the similarities and differences of contemporary and traditional rural practices in both Mexico and England. In the south east of England, the area our artists lived in and explored, the pace of life is very fast, resulting in each of the artists involve themselves in and build communities and networks that, at their heart, celebrated food. The exhibition, Food In The Frame, reflected this; highlighting networks and relationships exploring the manufacture, distribution, consumption and evocative atmospheres surrounding current food culture in the UK.” Adam Stead (Production assistant 2016)
"The mixture of activities got the various community groups very excited about Amaranth , the variety of interaction with plants displayed the massive potential of ways of engaging with the plant , from the shaking of the threshing , the soaking and mixing the dyes and tactile experience of moulding with the popped seed sculptural forms." Greer Pester (Education and Outreach Program 2016)
"Reevaluating and exploring the sources and quality of our food through art, coincides with my artistic and professional passions and interests. The intersection of art and food production has brought the opportunity to be part of an exchange of experiences between two cultures with an important focus on issues that are very much relevant to the times in which we live.
I truly believe that understanding the roots of agricultural-related problems is of great importance in order to be make educated and sustainable decisions that do not feed into the negative and harmful aspects of food production and consumption. I see art as a unique and powerful tool by which to explore and learn about these issues. " Roque RM (Mex - UK artist 2015)
I have continued to explore the themes and ideas that I developed whilst on the residency in Oaxaca. These ideas focus mainly around; how life is rooted to the earth, our bodies receiving nutrients from the ground and how these nutrients affect the body and mind."
Stephen Moynihan (UK-Mex artist 2014)