Tag Archives: Kirsty Taylor

What have we gained through ‘Feeder’?

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Food will always be an obsession in human life so there is no reason why it shouldn’t be a part of performance and theatre too. As Di Benedetto states, “food as a component in theatrical entertainments has a long history…in an attempt to unpack the aesthetic uses of food by the futurists and the surrealists in the creation of meaning” (2010, p116). In the Middle Ages, food and entertainment went hand in hand, “food was a performance…Feasting and festivity were inextricably fused in medieval hospitality; the one did not exist without the other” (Cole in Di Benedetto, 2010, p116). This link between performance and food is clear even without noticing it. When entertaining guests, food is expected as an accompaniment, people go and enjoy food as a social occasion with loved ones. Our performance therefore becomes quite a contrast to many people’s perception of food, it exposes the greed, waste and overall negativity that food can also be associated with.

Our piece has become more thought provoking that what we initially anticipated. Our initial stimulus was the feeder fetish but the way in which we presented our piece resulted in a much more varied interpretation. It was a personal experience for each of us. As young female adults in a modern 21st century country, we all feel the need to look after our body and therefore our view on the over consumption of food is rather negative. As Seid suggests, “Everything, for women, boils down to body size” (1994, p7). However, we challenged our own thoughts and took part in a task which contradicts everything we believe is right regarding food and the body. As Coultate and Davies state, “Quite rightly, almost everyone has on opinion on the food they eat, or don’t eat. We have fads and fancies, compounded with views on what is ‘good for you'” (1994, p1). Interestingly of course, the feeder/gainer fetish is a way of life for some individuals who gain pleasure from the over consumption of fatty foods. This is something that we cannot begin to understand or relate to and certainly isn’t something I admire, particularly when it will have such a negative impact on their health. It seems that for many people, from those who are clinically obese to those suffering from disorders such as anorexia, food is allowed to consume their lives in such a way in which they no longer have control. After all, “food is essential to our survival, social ritual revolving around food are central parts of every culture on earth” (Di Benedetto, 2010, p114). The idea of control was exercised throughout our performance from the buying of the food, to the preparation and finally the feeding. In ‘Feeder’ we explored both personal and social reactions and feelings towards food, the female form in relation to food and in particular the gluttony and greed of many people in 1st world countries.

Works Cited

Coultate, Tom and Davies, Jill (1994) Food: The definitive guide Cambridge: The Royal Society of Chemistry

Di Benedetto, Stephen (2010) The Provocation of the Senses in Contemporary Theatre UK:Routledge

Fallon, P., Katzman, M., and Wooley, S. (eds.) (1994) Feminist Perspectives on eating disorders. USA: The Guilford Press

And for dessert…

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Our final performance: three feeders, three gainers and two hours to eat as much as individually possible. 11th December 2013

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The performance: Taken by Darren Page 11/12/13

Due to the result of the drawing of straws, for the performance I was given the role of feeder, much to my relief. In the lead up to the performance we filmed various sequences of the three feeders in a supermarket buying the food which would be consumed and consequently the cooking and preparation.

 

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Preparation of food: Taken by Kirsty Taylor 10/12/13

It was important for this footage to be part of our performance so the audience could see our process and how the food had got to the table. We set up our performance space as it was for our work in progress with the addition of lighting and video footage set behind the gainers. This meant they could not see what had been put into the food they were about to consume reflecting the gainer/feeder fetish in which the feeder could be in control of what went into the food they can eat. The control of the feeders continued as we tied our gainer to the chair using an item associated with the outfit they are wearing. My gainer, Abbi, wore gym clothing and so she was tied to the chair using socks.

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Gainer and feeder: Taken by Jess Jarvis 11/12/13

After we had laid the table and reheated all the hot food our performance could begin. The hot food added an important sense to the performance and allowed the audience to have some direct connection to the piece, the sense of smell, “Smell is said to be the most direct route to memory, emotions, mate choice and the immune system” (Di Benedetto, 2010, p93). By placing the food in close proximity to the audience, not only could they see exactly what was being eaten but can experience the food through smells thereby creating thoughts and feelings as Di Benedetto suggests, “Taste, like smell, can evoke memories that are laden with emotional qualities” (2010, p114). Consequently each audience member can create an individual personal response.

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Display of food: Taken by Kirsty Taylor 11/12/13

To heighten the control we were aiming for, the three feeders held a neutral facial expression whilst the gainers reacted naturally to the task they were completing which was received positively by the audience as they were real, honest reactions. Because the performance was of a nature which couldn’t be rehearsed, it was a task trying to keep a straight face whilst deciding what food I should feed to Abbi. I was tentative at first deciding how much to put on the plate and what combination of food I should use, but gradually I became more confident and sure of what to do. It also became more clear which food my gainer preferred over others.  As the performance went on, it became clear it was going to be a much harder task than anticipated. The physical struggle of the gainers and the mental guilt of the feeders increased dramatically and reached a climax when Abbi had to be sick. This was a shock for us all; although sick bags were in place we never expected they would be used as we didn’t think it would get to that point. I tried my hardest to remain in control of the situation despite the tidal wave of emotions; I felt panicky, guilty and full of concern yet still had the overbearing apprehension of keeping the performance going and completing my task as feeder. Although we never focused on the audience and made a deliberate choice not to make eye contact, it was at that point some members of the audience had to leave, clearly uncomfortable with what had just happened. Unexpectedly, our performance was cut short and stopped forty-five minutes before the expected finish.

Although it was not planned, we were all relieved the performance was over. We were all exhausted; we had pushed our bodies to the limits of what we could have handled either mentally or physically. The performance may not have ended how we anticipated, but we were all proud of the effort we had put into both the process and final piece.

Works Cited

Di Benedetto, Stephen (2010) The Provocation of the Senses in Contemporary Theatre UK:Routledge

A personal relationship

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When we first researched into the feeder fetish I personally felt disturbed. It confused me as to how becoming hideously overweight and putting your health at risk could be in any way pleasurable or desirable, as Coultate and Davies state, ” excess body weight can lead to all sorts of health problems and life expectancy may be considerably reduced” (1994, p29). The health risks of being overweight are obvious to everyone and an important topic taught about in school. There is no longer an excuse of ignorance in a world when the risks are made clear in every walk of life, so are these risks to the body less important than the fetish? We all have different relationships with food and may know someone who has been affected by an eating disorder. It is a big topic of discussion as it is so central to life.

Personally, I enjoy food. I love going out for meals in restaurants with my boyfriend, friends and family as it is a great place to socialise whilst enjoying delicious food. I have never suffered with an eating disorder and have been lucky to maintain a healthy weight throughout my life. As a typical teenage girl I was always conscious of how I looked and tried to maintain a healthy figure and this continues to the present day. I will never be 100% happy with my figure; I am a perfectionist in every aspect of my life so my body is no exception. However I am starting to feel more comfortable in my skin now I have settled into a healthy size 10.  I feel like this is my natural, ideal size and wouldn’t want to be any bigger or smaller, (although maybe slightly more toned!).

Thinking about the performance and what I will have to go through if I am chosen as the consumer is slightly daunting. Although I love food, I often go through stages where I do not feel the desire to eat large amounts, often I do not want to eat at all. During the run up to performances and deadlines it has been particularly stressful and when I feel overcome with stress, my hunger levels drop dramatically. If I am stressed on the day of performance how will this affect my ability to eat and how long will I last before I cannot stomach any more?

Works Cited

Coultate, Tom and Davies, Jill (1994) Food: The definitive guide Cambridge: The Royal Society of Chemistry

The food experiments

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After it was decided we would be looking into the feeder fetish, we decided to experiment with handing over control and feeding each other. On 7th November 2013 we all bought foods we like and then gave them over to our feeder. One by one we took it in turns to be fed and then become the feeder ourselves. We wanted to all experience the act of giving and receiving the foods we would usually eat ourselves for pleasure. The experience was very odd as the act of feeding is usually a personal act. When I gave up control and Lizzy took the role of feeding me it was very odd. I was fed crisps and cheese-strings.

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Giving up control: Taken by Lauren Watson 7 /11/13

Being fed is not an experience I am used to in my every day life, so by giving the personal act of feeding to another was something new. This was the same for the rest of the group and made us think more about those whose fetish involves the act of feeding another/being fed as part a pleasurable experience of everyday life.

As part of our work in progress on 22nd November we decided to use it to our advantage and used it to help us finalise some areas of the performance we were uncertain of. These included the costumes we would wear and the positioning of us and the audience. We set up three chairs for our gainers, decided by the drawing of straws, with a table downstage holding the food and the audience in a thrust style.

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Work in progress: Taken by Kirsty Taylor 22/11/13

Work in progress gainers: Taken by Kirsty Taylor 22/11/13

As we were unsure as to what we should wear we all wore different outfits ranging from underwear to gym wear. We drew straws to decide who would taken on the role of either feeder or gainer. I chose a long straw and so became a feeder. The feeders fed each of the gainers in turn for fifteen minutes and we then received feedback. From this we were able to decide which outfits were received the best and also helped formulate new idea’s regarding audience. We did not expect such wide and interesting reactions from the audience and so we realised that by allowing the audience to see each other as well as the performance it would add to the atmosphere of the piece. It also made us aware of how this piece could also spark thoughts in the audience of their own personal relationship with food and their opinion of how much/little is ‘normal’ to consume.