Just as the title suggests, the show brings\ntogether the worlds of fermentation and feminism, toying with ideas of motherhood\nand microbes, sexuality and scobys. It features art by what Fournier describes\nas \u201can ever-changing, transnational community of fermenters and feminists,\u201d\nincluding video, sculpture, painting, and more. Though not officially billed as\nscience art, many of the works in Fermenting\nFeminism <\/em>draw inspiration from chemistry, biology, and psychology\u2014exploring\nthe fascinating intersections between what we eat, how we feel, and how we\nidentify. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Alanna Lynch\u2019s Gut Feelings<\/em>, for example, is an award-winning research-based project investigating the microbiome. It features a dangling collection of gloves made from dehydrated kombucha scobys\u2014the bacterial cellulose \u201cfabric\u201d that forms when brewing the effervescent drink. Somehow both striking and off-putting, the brown translucent gloves play with concepts of protection and contamination, sterilization and growth. \u201cThey come to symbolize a cross-species,\u201d Fournier explains, \u201ca \u2018contamination as collaboration<\/a>\u2019 ethos of feminist fermentation.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Alongside the gloves is a wall of photos, sketches,\nand notes\u2014evidence collected during Lynch\u2019s research process. She muses on the strange\nbacterial growths she finds on her scobys, wondering at the unexpected beauty of\nher booming bacterial colonies. She also explores the science behind the \u201cbrain-gut-axis,\u201d\nexplaining how the gut bacteria in our digestive system can influence our daily\nthoughts and feelings, and how those thoughts and feelings, can in turn, influence\nour digestion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Lynch\u2019s work is wonderfully complemented by Family Jewels<\/em>, a playful film by\ncollaborators and lovers\/partners Eleonora Edreva and Leo Williams. With a\nhealthy dose of wit and humour, the work explores questions of queerness, child\ncare, and family-making, all through the lens of fermentation. We watch as the\nartist duo care for their ferments, chopping up fresh beets and cabbages to\nfeed their bacterial \u201cdependents,\u201d \u201cburping\u201d them as needed, and even scheduling\n\u201cchild care.\u201d Along the way, the artists\/parents turn to the all-knowing Google\nfor advice: Does caring for kefir make you a parent? Do worms count as family\nmembers? Are there tax benefits to fermentation? Though tongue and cheek, these\nquestions will resonate with anyone who has gone through labour-intensive\nprocess of keeping a young ferment alive. Raising sauerkraut, it turns out, is an\nall-consuming endeavour\u2014equal parts precision and passion, love and science.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Accompanying XINONA, Gut Feelings<\/em>, and Family Jewels <\/em>are works by Sarah Nasby, Christine Tien Wang, and Andrea Creamer. Together these creations offer new and complementary perspectives on issues like inter-species symbiosis, wellness and health, science, and history. They question and extend the ways we think of ourselves in society: as women, as mothers, as feminists, as fermenters. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Fermenting Feminism<\/em> is on view at Vancouver\u2019s Access Gallery from September 14 to October 26, 2019. Find out more at the exhibition website<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Share this Post<\/p>![\"Gloves](\"https:\/\/artthescience.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Image8-AlannaLynch.jpg\")
![\"sciart](\"https:\/\/artthescience.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Image2-AlannaLynch_.jpg\")
![\"Alanna](\"https:\/\/artthescience.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Image1-AlannaLynch_-683x1024.jpg\")
![\"Film](\"https:\/\/artthescience.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Image3-EleonoraEdrevaLeoWilliams_.jpg\")
![\"Sarah](\"https:\/\/artthescience.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Image7-SarahNasby_.jpg\")