Feast of the Dead, Hastings, September 2016

Later this year, in commemoration of the 950th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings, we will be collaborating with long standing friends of Blanch & Shock, Dens and Signals.

More details are coming soon, but in the meantime here is a little teaser:

As night fell on 14th October 1066, thousands of men lay dead in a field. Some were English, some Norman, some Breton, or Belgian or Scot. And none would ever again see their families, their land… or their dinner.

We invite you to join us to conjure their ghosts, and to remember all those who fell in this most cataclysmic moment of our history.

Our team of performers and musicians will take you on an anarchic ride through the aftermath of a battle which still affects our daily lives. Expect an entertaining communal experience about the past, the present and the future.

We’ll serve a delicious and unique meal, inspired by eleventh century food, sourced from local suppliers.

Whether you're Norman, Anglo-Saxon, or just hungry - come dressed as a battlefield ghost, and ready to raise a glass to the past.

Lust, Sex, Brains with Guerilla Science, 8th February 2016

The excellent Guerilla Science will be hosting a night with psychologist Carlota Batres exploring the science behind human attraction, at the Book Club on Monday 8th February.

There will be science-based activities aplenty and they promise 'blindfolds, nibbles, dancing and a free scientifically-inspired cocktail on entry'.

We are contributing some savoury snacks and chocolates, all based on ingredients rich in carotenoids, on the basis that a diet high in carotenoids has been proven to make you appear more attractive. We'll be there to tell you about the food on the night.

For more details and to buy tickets head to the event website.

Spoon, Knife, Fork late at V & A

We are very pleased to be part of the programme for this month’s Friday Late at the V & A Museum on Friday 29th January.

We will be building a new version of our ‘Exploding Cake,’ which was originally commissioned by Icon Magazine. Part of the construction of the installation will take place during the the evening, and later the crowd will be invited to eat the installation.

There are some great people involved in the wider event, including Centre for Genomic Gastronomy, Honey & Bunny, New Dawn Traders and Kate Rich with the Feral Cafe project and many more.

It’s free to attend, details are on the V & A website here

Funded PhD in Food and Performance - deadline 5th May

Rice paper box detail, food for  Staying by Oreet Ashery, 2010

Rice paper box detail, food for  Staying by Oreet Ashery, 2010

We are very excited to announce that Roehampton University is offering a new PhD in Food and Performance, based in the department of Drama, Theatre and Performance, in conjunction with Blanch & Shock. The PhD will be supervised by Dr Josh Abrams, whose own research focuses on the restaurant as a site of performance. In addition, the candidate will spend research time with Blanch & Shock.

The deadline for applications is 5th May.

More information from Dr Josh Abrams:

We welcome proposals from applicants with research interests in any area linking performance and food studies, including but not limited to exploring the idea of food as an art practice, food’s function in the expression of ideas, questions around food and the performance of identity, food made in collaboration with other media, and notions of culinary authenticity. The applicant will have an involvement with Roehampton’s Interdisciplinary Food Studies Research Group.

For full funding and application details, visit

https://roehamptonfoodandperformancephd.wordpress.com/

Dalí Dinner at Guest Projects, 9th April 2015

Dali

Artist Dining Room

Thursday 9th April, 2015
£36.50 / £31 (student concession)

We have been asked to devise a menu for a multi-course dinner inspired by the life and works of Salvador Dalí for Artist Dining Room, a series at Guest Projects, a gallery and event space run by artist Yinka Shonibare MBE RA, near Broadway Market in Hackney. The dinner, hosted and featuring performance by artist Liane Lang, will incorporate some of the whimsical surrealism Dalí was famous for, as well as making reference to the emergence of 'Modernist' and 'Techno-emotional' gastronomy in Catalonia in the last decade.

We can cater for most allergies and intolerances if given enough notice, please choose the kind of menu you'd like from the dropdown menu on the Guest Projects booking page.