Potato/Batata

An exhibition and trans-Atlantic feast reflecting on potato/people diaspora.

This exhibition at the Burren College of Art Gallery was a trans-Atlantic collaboration between Deirdre and Frances Whitehead, and also included a retrospective of Deirdre’s projects from 2010 – 2015.

An installation based on the pan-Atlantic diaspora reflected the ongoing movement of plants and people that have shaped and continue to shape world agri+culture, the food system and the landscape. The conceptual heart of the installation consisted of mirrored tuber plantings in the USA and in Ireland, each containing the potato and the sweet potato, two important but botanically unrelated tubers. Decaled ceramic plates were produced and used for a dinner that took place simultaneously in the gallery and Whitehead’s home in the US.

The installation was surrounded by hubs featuring Deirdre’s projects and collaborations from 2010 – 2015. By using the potato as a space for investigation and reflection on sustainability, food security and changing landscapes the intention is to examine the forces that continue to structure the inequalities affecting food security within the global economy.

Collaboration with Frances Whitehead.

Supported by Clare County Arts Office, the Burren College of Art, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the School of Creative Arts and Media, GMIT Galway.

Exhibition Handout