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.

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/