International Stomachs
Gent, 2024
International Stomachs is a collective research platform that drives imagination around food and challenges the waterways of Gent.
The various phases of this project were created in collaboration with Campus Atelier, De Koer, Anna Schlooz, Lucrecia Wang, Phoebe Vandercammen, Anastasiia Sharoshkina, Maryam Alirezabeigi,
with further support from Diede Roosens, Futurefarmers,
Viernulvier and KASK.
De Goedinge, a local community farm just outside of Gent in Belgium, distributes fresh vegetables around the city, transporting them via the canals on a solar powered boat. The project uses the farm as the starting point to investigate its supply chain and the broader food inequalities around the city.
Working within the social housing complex of Watersportbaan in Gent, a district situated by the water that leads to De Goedinge, but which is deserted of shops to supply the many that live there, I have been part of various interventions as an artist, curator and facilitator.
Reflecting on our own predominantly migrant backgrounds, we hosted a variety of culinary interventions around the area as a tool to discuss food heritages and build connections with residents. This phase cumulated in March 2024, taking the form of a procession where we planted food together with the neighbourhood, shared (origin) stories, and recorded wishes for how the area could become fertile ground for those living there.
In June, we constructed a table that ran through the housing blocks and hosted a meal that lasted the whole day, intercepted with stories and speeches about local food mythologies.
Various interventions related to food and the waterways took place in September, with work by artists and residents popping up at multiple points along the water. This included concerts, walking tours, boat trips, exhibitions, rituals and workshops.
We always eat together.
Photos by Leontien Allemeersch