Kenilworth installation brings us food for thought

Food For Thought, by artist Tim Robottom, co-founder of the Kenilworth-based arts organisation Brink, will see the titles of Warwickshire people’s favourite books - whether they be sci-fi novels, autobiographies, children’s stories, manuals, handbooks or any other type of book - being transformed into labels on canned food.

Tim said: “As we all know, it is the contents of a book that is the most important element of any author’s intention - this is what nourishes the imagination and stimulates the creative pallette.”

The work is also a reference to Andy Warhol’s Campbell Soup prints and Damien Hirst’s series, The Last Supper, which consists of pharmaceutical packaging replaced with working class food.

Tim, who also calls himself a “scavenger and hoarder”, created the installation to make a point about consumerism and branding, but it also focuses on the abstraction of information in material goods - and how customers are drawn to products by imagery and packaging.

Tim’s work largely makes use of unwanted objects that he transforms into art - not only as part of his efforts to divert goods from landfill, but also to examine the potential cultural and historical importance of such objects and how they may be re-used.

He said: “I am continuing to investigate the role of the artist or curator as a social-reformist and am interested in the potential link between the museum and landfill/dump as repositories and exploring the socio-educational possibilities of bringing these into some sort of new alignment.”

The complete Food For Thought installation will go on display at Kenilworth Books in Talisman Square in May. Anyone wishing to take part should pick up a slip at the book shop and state the title of their favourite book and author.

The piece will also form part of Brink’s Mosaic art trail during the Kenilworth Festival.