Last Supper Food Artist 2009 – Ben Pinder

Food Artist: Ben Pinder

Title:  Grog Bar

Ingredients:  Bar, carboys, lime juice, rum, water, honey cake, hardtack, performance

Size: 7′ x 7′

A makeshift bar, created from found materials, will be built in the exhibition space.  In the middle will be three large glass carboys; one filled with rum, one with water, one with lime juice.  A barkeep will serve grog (water, rum, and lime juice) to visitors.  Also available from the bar will be honey cake and hardtack, old nautical foods that will be passed by barmaids.

Interpretation: What are means of merriment?  Gone are the swanky, exclusive clubs, he expensive dinners, eating out for every meal and the over the top drink prices. Instead, dive bars, thrift stores, staying in, and simplicity are making a comeback.  When it is time for celebrating, where can we look for economic and simplistic means for merrymaking?  I propose we look to the Age of Sail, where tiny ships at sea for months can serve as a microcosm for our own small world.  On ships, close quarters meant people were forced to work together.  Celebratory events meant receiving only extra portions of meager rations.  In these tough times, we should appreciate what little we have.  It’s time we remember to celebrate by enjoying the company of others.  In this way are the means of merriment accessible to us all.  Eat, drink, and be merry!

Bio:  Ben Pinder lives with his wife Molly in Brooklyn, NY.  Ben has a BFA from the University of Delaware and an MFA from the Pratt Institute, and has studied in New Zealand and Italy.  Since graduating, Ben has exhibited in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Philadelphia.  In 2008 he was a speaker for the symposium “The Relevance of Art in an Age of Global Warming” at the Moore College of Art in Philadelphia, Pa. This corresponded with the exhibition “Global Warming at the Icebox” where Ben also exhibited his project “Return to Symzonia”, a satiric multimedia installation created specifically for the show.  Together, Ben and Molly, who graduated from the Culinary Institute of America, create videos and performances that involve preparing and serving food.