And who is responsible for all this gas?, 2019-ongoing
Sourdough hooch, glass cloche, wood, laboratory gloves
10”x24”x24”
Fermentation lies at the nexus of lab science and home cooking. And who is responsible for all this gas? calls on the viewer to consider the bacteria and fungi growing in a petri dish. Donning the gloves of a biologist and lifting the cloche, you soon have to rely on the nose of a home baker, confirming that the smells of boozy overripe peach and day old bread have the microbiome to make the next great loaf.
And who is responsible for all this gas? has been presented in sites that activate it’s material and disciplinary connections. First constructed for a microbiology scientific conference (the 2019 Rust Belt Microbiome Conference), it has since traveled to the Pittsburgh Fermentation Festival and most recently the Cake Stand, an exhibition space and performative instagram held out of a glass cloche in Maine. It’s activation through science, community fermentation, and home kitchens create new contexts for the act of smelling.
Presentation at the Rust Belt Microbiome Conference in 2019
Presentation at the 2020 Pittsburgh Fermentation Festival
Presentation in 2021 as a part of the Cake Stand Exhibition. The smelling action was recorded each day via Instagram as well as a final performance of pouring the remaining starter down the drain.