The Experimental Food Society is a curator of food arts as it celebrates of the visceral, tangible, performative, and culinary aspects of food in the UK. It is an umbrella organization that brings together “food magicians, jellymongers, sonic food artists, cake sculptors, gastronomic tailors, culinary cabaret troupes and one-of-a-kind dining conceptualists to name a few,” and “society members are joined in their love of food and their desire to push it to new levels, often fusing it with other forms such as science and art.”
Alexa Perrin, the founder of the Experimental Food Society, explains in an interview that she founded the society in 2009 because she wanted to give a platform to the incredible talent that is largely untapped in Britain. Perrin is also the founder and owner of APR Consultancy, a PR firm. She “grew up in a family of foodies,” and spent a lot of time in restaurants growing up. She would help her mother bake cakes for local businesses, and her love of food grew from there.
Being a member of the society gets you access to a yearly festival, the Spectacular Exhibition, where the best gourmet artists put their work on display. This includes butter architects, cake artists, bread sculptors, and watermelon carvers, to name a few.
The line between the culinary arts and the fine arts is indeed a fine one. The aesthetic intricacies of the culinary arts are endless. Perhaps Ms. Perrin will create an outpost of The Experimental Food Society in New York one of these days; the talent and artistic creativity certainly exists here.
