Eighth International Conference on Food Studies

Abstract

My recent research into the confluence of food and technology via neural networks is inspired by these questions and the increasing intimate relationships we have with technology in our daily lives. As an artist, I am always interested in how we find inspiration and foster creativity. I wondered if the neural network would function like the “I Ching” did for John Cage? Or if perhaps like Marinetti’s “Futurist Cookbook”, could using the absurd be seen as a proposition for social and political change? I welcomed the aleatory nature of this AI collaboration with the expectation that it would lead to new and unknown territory. What interests me most about this collaborative work with artificial intelligence, is the idea that this conceptual inquiry can become a sensorial experience. When selecting the recipe data to teach my neural network, I think about intention and expectation as flavors. Would more control over what I feed the neural network lead to more or less delicious results? What does bias taste like?