Cooking and dining as a form of public artCulinary Mind

We live in the era of culinary spectacles. Chefs populate our media portrayed as creative geniuses, while food and cooking performances are by now standard in art museums and exhibitions. Some of these forms of expression not only promote reflective and complex aesthetic encounters with cooking and dining; often, they also offer occasions of reflection over questions of public value, such as cultural heritage, sustainability, animal ethics, or multiculturalism. Should cooking and dining be in some instances regarded as forms of public art? How could we best enhance the public value of cooking and dining (such as, for example: public funding, institutionnalisation of practices, or dedicated settings) ?

Participants:
Prof. Andrea Borghini, University of Milan, Coordinator of Culinary Mind 
Prof. Andrea Baldini, University of Nanjing, Member of Culinary Mind 
Beatrice Serini, University of Milan, Member of Culinary Mind