ResearchTalks Louvain-la-Neuve

Planet, What’s going on with my food ?

Food is at the heart of our well being. This is why Researchtalks is organizing a panel around agriculture and food on May 13. We are lucky to invite incredible speakers such as Olivier De Schutter, from the UN; Brandon Mitchener, from Monsanto; Claude Pohlig from the Slow Food movement; Alain Laigneaux from the Belgian Development Agency; Christian Hermans from the Lab of plants physiology of the ULB; and Alok Nandi, organizer of Pecha Kucha Brussels.

They will talk about agroecology, biotechnologies for a sustainable agriculture, rural development of Third World countries, the science of biofortification and the ethics and aesthetics of food. After listening to their ideas and knowledge, you’ll get a chance to exchange with the panel during a discussion-debate and to network around a drink and food.

Researchtalks idea is to discover new things, meet interesting people, and to shareknowledge. Join us for this event on food and agriculture on May 13, 2013! Registration is free but mandatory. Book your seat via http://www.researchtalks.com

AGENDA

19.00 – 19.30: Welcome (be on time!)
19:30 – 21:00: Talks

• Brandon Mitchener: What is Sustainable Agriculture? Using technology to improve food, agriculture and people’s lives
• Christian Hermans: Crop biofortification: a solution to human malnutrition?
• Olivier De Schutter: Agroecology as a new agricultural model
• Alain Laigneaux: Le rôle d’une coopération bilatérale dans le renforcement des systèmes d’agricultures familiales et les liens de marché.
• Claude Pohlig: Slow Food, la centralité de la nourriture pour une consommation au quotidien d’une alimentation durable
• Alok Nandi: Ethics & Aesthetics – Food Systems & Urban Stories

21:00 – 21:45: Discussion
21:45 – 23:45: Networking drink

…
Ethics & Aesthetics – Food Systems & Urban Stories
Alok Nandi

Hundreds of years ago, the Hindu scriptures Upanishads were already mentioning ‘You are what you eat’, and more closely in Europe, in 1826, Anthelme Brillat-Savarin wrote, in Physiologie du Goût, ou Méditations de Gastronomie Transcendante: ‘Dis-moi ce que tu manges, je te dirai ce que tu es.’ Tell me what you eat and I will tell you what you are.
If design allows ‘transformation of existing conditions into preferred ones’ (Herbert Simon), ‘cuisine’ is interesting to put next to it, close to it, into it, or vice-versa. Especially as a process but also as a space (and a non-space), it might ensure that thinking and talking about ‘design as cuisine’ or vice-versa results into reframing making and consuming.
This “Foodmood” talk will look into some food systems in urban settings and raise ethical as well as aesthetical questions.