Event 1: Totally Warm: The Materiality of Heat

Earlier this quarter I attended the ARTSCI event that focused on the Eco Materialism and Contemporary Art. The Workshop that I decided to participate in was titled “Totally Warm: The Materiality of Heat.” In this workshop, participants “discovered the cosmic extremes of heat on planet Earth by foraging and preparing sweet drinks ‘cooked’ by the sun, micro-organisms, rocks, and minerals.” Out of the many workshops offered that day, this was the one that seemed to be the most interesting. The presenter of this workshop was Iain Kerr, and I was eager to learn about the characteristics of fire and heat. 

To my surprise, this workshop was completely different from what I imagined it to be. We started the seminar inside where Iain lectured about various types of fermentation techniques that utilized heat for cooking. One notable example was the usage of the heat found in kitchen compost to soft-boil eggs. After the brief lecture, we went outside into the courtyard to sit in a circle on the grass. Once in a circle wine glasses were dispersed and Iain began to lecture again. Iain brought out a jar that was filled with stinging nettles and water. The jar was passed around for everyone to place their hand inside and feel the sting of the nettles. We were essentially creating a microbiome using our collective genetic material to make a "sweet drink." At this point in the workshop, I was very skeptical. We were not making “sweet drinks” but rather water that had been "contaminated" by dozens of other people. I will not deny that with the introduction of micro-organisms it is possible to ferment a drink to make it safe for drinking. Given the hour time slot that was given, I do not think that it was nearly enough time for the complete process to take place. I am a germaphobe, so I did not consume the drink we had just created.  After asking around what everyone thought about the drink, there were mixed reactions amongst the participants. 

The man next to me enjoyed the drink saying that it was “lightly sweetened.” The girl to my left mentioned that “it sort of tastes like it was infused with jalapeño and stung her throat a bit.” One participant even went as far as saying that he was a bit offended by the demonstration because it was coming out of a perspective of privilege. Privilege in the sense that in the United States we do not have to deal with waterborne pathogenic microorganisms that could lead to diseases like typhoid. I would not go as far as to say that, but I think the workshop was a bit obscure. However, I was open to learning new things about this interactive art exhibit. It taught me about the collective power of a community. I would recommend this workshop to my classmates as it helped me explore new mediums of art and learn the benefits of group collaboration.