Edible East

Creative dialogue about the future of food in the East of England

Edible East is an ambitious new venture which will explore the future of food in Norfolk through art, science and horticulture. Edible East will promote dialogue on the following issues:

current food insecurities and future risks
inequalities of health and opportunity
the environmental consequencies of current food systems
the links between diet and preventable disease/health
recent science regarding nutrition and our gut microbes
how to integrate creative opportunities/high-quality culture, science and food growing

Creating an edible landscape

Edible East will co-create an edible landscape of community-led forest food gardens

building on the model of the Incredible Edible Network
working with existing growing organisations, such as the Sustainable Living Initiative
initially in Norwich then throughout Norfolk and the East of England
with high-quality creative opportunities and art installations
interpretive links to world leading science from Norwich Research Park (NRP)
exploring research concerning the health of people, plants and the planet

The layers of a forest food garden/agroforest.

Photography Graham Burnett, Wikipedia Commons

Images above by Jennie Pedley

Edible East Team & Partners

Edible East Team

Jennie Pedley - artist/NHS health professional, formerly artist in residence at Norwich Research Park's Quadram Institute
Chris Jackson - sculptor and experienced art technician
Dr Jenni Rant - art/science project manager of the education charity Science Art and Writing (SAW)
Nik Thomson - horticulturalist/educaltionalist/garden designer (previously of Kew Gardens)
Hilary Thomson - of the Ministry of Imagination, creative facilitator and lead on narrative
Jean St Clair - British Sign Language Creative Consultant

Edible East Partners

Norwich Research Park initially focussing on the John Innes Centre
Clarion Futures
Norwich Science Festival
Norwich Museum Services
Norwich Business Improvement District
Norwich Heritage Churches and their churchyard 'Heavenly Gardens'
Hungate Medieval Art
Community food growing organisations, Sustainable Living Initiative, Norwich FarmShare
Norfolk Green Care Network
Norwich Cathedral
Men's Shed

Image by Jennie Pedley made with students in Haringey, exploring the origins of food

Piloting a way of working together

The first stage of Edible East will try out ways of working with artists/educators, horticulturalists, archeologists and scientists through online meetings to develop ideas for the first Edible East Art Science Trail and accompanying events. This will develop a network of artist/educators ready to engage the public with the future of food. There will be call-outs for further artists in the future.

Funding

We have so much in-kind support, thanks so much! We have submitted bids for funding.

An art-science trail in Norwich

Aims

The trail will:

bring culture, science and fun to the city
promote creative dialogue about future food informed by science
lead the public around the city to the intriguing installations
gather and tell diverse stories of food which will be incorporated into the trail
raise interest in the ongoing opportunities of the Edible East project
site twenty-first century food science within historic context and architecture

Timing

The trail will launch on the on 13th July 2021 and continue for different lengths of time at different locations. The timing will link with:

the 'Dippy Tour' of the dinosaur skeleton from the Natural History Museum
Edible England themed Heritage Open Days
Norwich Science Festival 2021

Locations

The trail will be lead the public around the city, artwork will be sited in a variety of locations such as:

alcoves/niches of the Historic Churches of Norwich, their churchyards and railings. The artwork can remain here until March 2021
empty retail units, the artwork could stay in these locations until they are rented out, it could be refreshed with new content evary few months.
sites around Norwich Cathedral, to be confirmed
Strangers' Hall, a street-facing window
Museum of Norwich, Bridewell, a street-facing window
Norwich Castle Museum, gates

Content

The trail will feature:

the work of local artists, linked to the science of a sustainable future of healthy food, which will be produced in a sustainable way
mini container food gardens
work co-created with the public, including young carers, refugees and British Sign Language users

Signage

Weatherproof frames will display:

interpretive signs explaining the scientific links
a map of the trail
information about the art and the artist
opportunities available for involvement with science/cultural/educational organisations and community food-growing projects such as Norwich FarmShare
links to a new Edible East website

Events

Accompanying events will:

from July onwards they will enable new content to be co-created by artists with the public
in September as part of 'Edible England' Heritage Open Days
be developed with scientists for Norwich Science Festival 21 in October
be held at online/outdoors as appropriate in line with COVID rules

Images above by Chris Jackson and Jennie Pedley

Spaces for exchange & dialogue

Setting the future of food in the context of the past, initial ideas by Chris Jackson

Models by Chris Jackson

Previous work by some of the artists involved

Images above, left to right by Tara Sampy, two by Genevieve Rudd, Kate Munro, two by Chris Jackson

Images above left to right by Rachel Wright, Liz McGowan and Rach Anstey-Sanders. The last two are by Jennie Pedley with felt microbes by Rach Anstey-Sanders exploring the diet/gut microbial work of the Quadarm Institute.