‘BANQUET OF’ THE IMAGINATION SHOWS AN APPETITE FOR JUSTICE
Davinia Clarke, Klaudija Michelevicute and Ariadna Alzuru Marquez’ “Banquet of the Imagination” creates ample food for thought at LCC Earth Day 2022.
DPS students created a “Banquet of the Imagination” this year, by creating ample food for thought at LCC Earth Day 2022. Davinia Clarke, Klaudija Michelevicute and Ariadna Alzuru Marquez brought their considerable skills to the table on 22nd of April, EARTH DAY: Appetite for Justice was held with anticipation across the six campuses, presented by the UAL Climate Emergency Network in the collective showcase of work around climate and ecological justice. Important conversations were sparked by the vibrant UAL and LCC communities of students, staff, and alumni as they paved the way into the dialogue through each of their own performances, workshops, artworks, and more.
London College of Communication hosted a lively array of activities - including a bustling Banquet of the Imagination in the midst of repurposed food installations and discussion around UAL’s new Climate, Social, Racial, and Environmental Justice principles over the buzzing course of lunch. The beauty and horror of food waste were showcased collaboratively in this Upper Gallery space that was as eye-catching as it served as an urgent reminder of the food waste that occurs so candidly in our everyday life.
Students discussed how not everyone has the same access to food and emphasised on the waste that already happens in supply chains before it even reaches the shop where you do your weekly shopping - which you might need to travel for depending on where you live in London. Some people might be working multiple jobs and don’t have the time or money to provide ‘healthy’ options for their family of five. With the fast pace of London city life, it is at times difficult to shop mindfully; however, we must talk about food as a subject for investigating climate change as it is a huge part of it.
24% of the global greenhouse emissions, in fact, is made up of the global food industry with food waste as one of the largest contributors of CO2 - something that people don’t talk enough about. Students discussed, in collaboration with Scientists for the Future UK, that if you were ranking CO2 emissions, global food waste would come third. When you talk about food waste, often the responsibility falls on the individual consumer, but most of it actually comes from the supply chain on the way, in restaurants and supermarkets. This information on the carbon footprint of food waste during the Climate Emergency as well as the solutions are provided as handy printouts to be readily taken away and digested.
All in all, the Earth Day experience at the London College of Communication was a vibrant, welcoming, and intimate collective of works/participatory workshops that certainly inspired those who came across them. Many thanks to all the UAL staff, students, and alumni that made the activities happen - a day of spreading awareness and much celebration!
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Photography by Ariadna Alzuru Marquez