Eat! My Son

Full description

BACKGROUND Eat! My Son, (2013) was a one day relational event, which involved sharing food prepared by my octogenarian mother and me. The sharing of food is fundamental to human experience and potentially collapse conventions of difference. Partaking in a shared meal resonates deeply in both Eastern and Western cultures. The title is from a phrase my mum often uses. For her, 'Eat! My Son is a sign of unconditional love. The exclamation to 'Eat' is a call that all should be just and equal in the world. Additionally, 'My son' goes beyond our close familial bond. It is a loud, inclusive, celebratory exaltation for all to participate. CONTRIBUTION This event was held in the same site as Trade (2013) during the 2013 Castlemaine State Festival. Together, Trade and Eat! My Son, engage Homi Bhabha's vexing, but very valid question, 'How does the post-colonial condition influence the problem of the Past? If the primary intention for the artwork, Trade was to bring forward problems inherent in trading practices during colonial times, specifically relating to exploitation and power, Eat! My Son shifts this condition by presenting a space of inclusion and non- hierarchy, where food is cooked (using the spices from Trade) and freely shared among the participants. SIGNIFICANCE Eat! My Son was a socially engaged participatory event where the everyday act of sharing food could perhaps set aside the weight of colonial history, even if momentarily, so we could come together inclusively, without distinctions of power, race, and privilege.