photo Gert-Jan van Rooij
The act of eating soil-based substances including raw clay is known as geophagy and is scientifically researched. The project is inspired by the study of this phenomenon. It involves the production of edible ceramic cups. Within the project, the act of eating ceramics is connected to a number of factors, such as instincts, social values, culture, spirituality, addictions, and sexuality.
In some countries eating soil is a part of the culture, while in Europe and the USA eating soil is officially regarded as a psychological disorder.
photo Gert-Jan van Rooij
Furthermore, a lot of animals have the instinct of eating soil. Clay absorbs and thus can act as a detoxifier. Besides, it contains a lot of healthy minerals and nutrients.
Some people like to eat chalk. We can argue that they do not have enough calcium, but they still prefer chalk eating over buying food supplements containing calcium. In a number of forums, participants discuss which chalk brands they prefer, how much they eat per day etc. This can be seen as an example of an error that occurs at the point where social values meet nature and instinct. It is about a desire of doing something natural, but at the same time prohibited. This act can easily become addictive.
Another aspect is spirituality. What does it mean from a spiritual point of view to eat our house made of bricks (i.e. ceramics), objects that are around us, ceramic art pieces, ceramic objects with historical values?
In 2013 I produced a series of eatable ceramics entitled Eat*a*ble, which was eaten and bitten by visitors during the exhibition. In general ‘Are those cups healthy?’ was the most frequently asked question. We investigated the issue further by conducting a chemical analysis of the clay in a laboratory.
The project was developed during the residency at Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten in Amsterdam with the support of Mondriaan Fonds, Amsterdamse Fonds voor de Kunst, Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds and KPN. Chemical Analysis was carried out by Stichting Technisch Centrum voor de Keramische, Industrie (TCKI), Machiel and Ineke.
Article in Rijksakademie blog >>
Article in Rijksakademie blog >>
‘Als je durft’, Fun Facts, Linda,
p.17, 02-2015, The Netherlands
Photo by Bert Kommerij
Interview with Bert Kommerij (in Dutch) >>
The project was developed during the residency at Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten in Amsterdam with support of Mondriaan Fonds and Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds and KPN.
Article in Tubelight >>
2013 - ongoing
