Ampersand Aesthetics: Spatula&Barcode’s <i>Foodways Philippines</i>

Abstract

This essay documents and reflects on a complex of social practice art actions addressing hunger that the authors, who work under the name Spatula&Barcode, undertook in the Philippines in 2022 in collaboration with Jazmin Llana. The article gives background on Spatula&Barcode’s prior work with food, art, and performance and their prior engagement with hunger as a theme, then describes several exploratory actions and two larger-scale community-based projects. The theoretical section takes up themes of agency, sovereignty, and hospitality as ethical concerns in both hunger action more broadly and in the possible role of artists in enhancing that work. The essay concludes with a discussion of the “lagniappe”—something extra, above and beyond the necessary—and the symbolism of the ampersand in the artists’ thinking about their work.