Digesting Recipes - The Art of Culinary Notation

Digesting Recipes: The Art of Culinary Notation scrutinises the form of the recipe, using it as a means to explore a multitude of subjects in post-war Western art and culture, including industrial mass-production, consumerism, hidden labour, and art engaged with the everyday.Each chapter is presented as a dish in a nine-course meal, drawing on examples from published cookbooks and the work of artists such as Alison Knowles, Yoko Ono, Annette Messager, Martha Rosler, Barbara T.Smith, Bobby Baker and Mika Rottenberg. A recipe is an instruction, the imperative tone of the expert, but this constraint can offer its own kind of potential.A recipe need not be a domestic trap but might instead offer escape - something to fantasise about or aspire to.It can hold a promise of transformation both actual and metaphorical.It can be a proposal for action, or envision a possible future.