Something & Son

Something & Son
Amusefood, 2014

Something & Son is a London based artists' practice founded by Andrew Merritt and Paul Smyth. Their work is rooted in inquisitiveness and experimentation, reflecting their varied backgrounds and shared passion for art, engineering, social enterprise and the environment.

Globally, food prices are reaching an historic peak and the world is teetering on the brink of an unprecedented food crisis. A burgeoning world population and a rapidly changing climate are leading to food shortages that will irreversibly change the way food is sourced and produced. Something & Son’s projects have often sought to re-imagine the systems required to sustain human existence.

For Folkestone Triennial 2014, Something & Son have taken the humble poly-tunnel and transformed it into an eco-friendly, self-sustainable model for food production, situated on the roof of a part of Folkestone Academy school – The Glassworks Sixth Form Centre. This experimental greenhouse provides warmth, nourishment and shelter for potato plants, pea plants, and fish in specially adapted tanks creating a zero waste energy cycle and miniature ecosystem.

The project is highly innovative – effectively an experiment – so the outcome is uncertain, but the conception is that the food harvested either be cooked and eaten within the school or will be sent to local fish and chip shops for preparation and serving as Britain’s national seaside dish to visitors and locals. If the former, the possibility of recycling waste from the school's cafe in order to feed the fish and nourish the growth of plants could create a self-sufficient food cycle entirely on one urban site.

Titled Amusefood, the experimental project also has a dynamic formal reference to fairgrounds and amusement arcades, expressed through its lighting, so acknowledging Folkestone’s rich history as a popular seaside destination.

Andrew Merritt was born in 1980 and Paul Smyth was born in 1984, both in the UK. Something & Son was founded in 2008 and is based in London. Something & Son are currently recruiting local students and volunteers to be part of Amusefood during Folkestone Triennial 2014.

To find out about how to get involved with the Amusefood project please contact Sally Hough: sally@hough@gmail.com

This is not a wheelchair accessible artwork.

Audio guide

Video

Live recording from Fish, Chips and the Future of Food

With special thanks to: