Spiritual Nourishment: Food and Ritual in Performance Art

Abstract

Food shares with performance art its brief life span. Both are ephemeral in essence. As an organic, perishable substance, food is subject to change, decay, and ultimately dissolution—if left to its own devices. In culinary matters as in performance art, the period of preparation usually outlasts that of the actual consumption. A great deal of investment and effort often disappears without a trace, having fulfilled its function of nourishing our bodies and souls.