Lowther Technologies Ceremonial Dinner Revelry Part II | 4 August 2002

An exhibition highlighting the dynamics of food used as weapon will be held at the Association of Arts, Pretoria, opening the 4th of August at 17:30 for 18:00. For this exhibition, the artists will utilize information and visual material gathered from the highly successful 'Lowther Technologies Ceremonial Dinner Revelry' Art Happening held on 11 July. During this Art Performance Event, eighteen prominent personalities made a strong statement about the Media's feeding of information to the public.

Various other dimensions regarding food and the use of it became apparent during the unfolding of the event. Food became a weapon, both physically, mentally, sexually and on an emotional level.

The men, namely Jacques du Preez (presenter, 'Geraas'), Henja Schaap (fashion editor, De Kat), Gerhard Greyvensteyn (researcher, 'Geraas'), Thomas Thomson (fashion designer), Simon Rademan (fashion designer dressing Miss South Africa), Prof Jonathan Jansen (Dean, Faculty of Education, UP), Thabo Leshilo (Editor, Pretoria News), Freek Swart (retired political editor of Rapport), and Henning Pieterse (writer, Hertzog Prize Winner, 2001) were fed by Helena Hettema (singer and songwriter), Patricia Glyn (presenter, SAfm), Esmeralda Bihl (presenter, 'Geraas'), Jennifer Ferguson (singer and songwriter), Sandra Prinsloo (actress), Ronel Nel (Organiser: Aardklop), Arina de Witt (singer), Lucia Burger (journalist), and Vanessa Carreira (Miss South Africa). During this ten-course dinner, the men became bloated and nauseated by the excess, while the women longed for a morsel of the opulence. Even the audience present, had nothing other than wine and dry cheese sticks

Three artists, Magda Joubert, Hanolet Uys and Franci Cronjé, are commenting on the dynamics of food and the power thereof. Living in Africa, with contrasts of haves and have-nots so apparent on a daily basis, they are highlighting the various levels of nourishment, as well as the use of food as a weapon. With the video installation involving a wall of water on opening night only, Franci Cronjé also emphasises the ephemerality of food and the short-living nourishment thereof.