The connection between science and food

Bristol Food Connections is using food as a theme to connect with communities, highlight fantastic projects, sustainability, health and fitness, the local economy and so much more. Science is another theme that connects with food so well and runs through the festival, particularly where children are concerned.

That is why we have teamed up with At-Bristol, one of the UK’s leading science and discovery centres. At-Bristol is hosting a number of events during the festival, including the How to make a business out of food events as well as allowing Incredible Edible Bristol to place a vegetable planter outside for children to plant in. They are also running an adults only after hours event on Thursday 8th May.

Bristol Food Connections leads perfectly into At-Bristol’s brand new exhibition, simply titled: Food. The exhibition launches at the end of July just in time for the summer holidays and is designed to highlight the connection between science and food.

Visitors will be able to pop corn using light energy, dress up like a bee and collect pollen, grind their own grain and talk to a robot waiter! We spoke to Emma Cook, Exhibitions Manager for At-Bristol to find out more…

Where did the idea for Food come from?

The idea to create a dedicated space to celebrate food probably emerged about five years ago. Once it was put forward, staff from across At-Bristol were interested – after all food is universal and provides a familiar starting point for exploring science and technology. It is a subject where everybody feels confident and that they have a valid opinion to share.

At-Bristol had been busy with projects covering exhibition development, learning events and online interactivity, exactly the sort of multi-stranded projects that could be used to create a truly interactive experience around such a huge and interdisciplinary subject like food.

Once we started researching the subject we were intrigued to find that there were very few up to date exhibitions on view. Many of those which did exist focused on food within the theme of the human body, despite the many potential angles to delve into both established and contemporary science. Once we discussed the idea with some of our visitors they agreed that was relevant, accessible to both formal and informal audiences and perhaps most important – really interesting!

And so in 2014 we have developed the ultimate food festival, Food asks visitors to take a closer look at the food they see, taste and experience every day, playfully introducing the exciting science behind the food they eat and the world they live in. A day at this festival aims to inspire visitors to go home and try a new recipe together, create or update their own edible garden and think about the food choices we make every day.