During his three week residency in the Clear Box at Testing Grounds, Andrew Rewald filled the space with edible weeds growing from upcycled plastic food containers, arranged in intersecting circles and crossed lines symbolic of the processes of food production, preparation, and consumption. Through the edible weed installation and Andrew’s research materials – pinned images and piles of books on food, agriculture, urbanisation, and art – Contingency considered the nexus between the urban ecology and food security in context with sustainable agriculture practices.

On Thursday March 23, to mark the end of the residency and share his research and creative process, Andrew hosted an edible weed tasting. Featuring dishes like tempura dandelion and foraged weed pesto, the act of sharing food grown in the Clear Box acted as a powerful metaphor for the possibility of redefining our relationship to food consumption, industrial production and transportation processes, and food security. 

The work done in this residency extends from his previous work investigating diet as a marker of identity in diverse urban and rural contexts. Andrew is motivated by the impact of consumer culture behaviour and the globalisation of food industries on our understanding of what it means to have access to food. From corporate food production practices to foraging for edible weeds his work continues to investigate indicators of social disorder and dis-empowerment – but also empowerment – for individuals and communities alike.