In my work as a visual education teacher, I often look for ways in which pupils can express themselves through art and share this with a classmate or group. An experience at a school camp made me interested in the interactions between pupils, their learning environment and food, or the act of eating. This event included a series of creative elements such as devising a recipe and preparing and presenting a dish. The research question this led to was: How could these interactions be incorporated into an art class? What do you need to design a performative meal with a group? How can engaging with food contribute to an artistic programme in secondary education and promote connections between the context in the classroom and outside of it?

The aim of this research project is to study and describe interactions between secondary school pupils and their environment within the context of art education, in particular the ways in which the processes of making and sharing food as a group can promote connections and exchange between cultures. It examines how being part of a group is influenced by personal feelings, tastes and opinions. For example, a performative way of presenting a ‘work of art’ can be a way of discussing a particular subject in secondary school.

To answer my question, I used a design research method that related specific projects to each other, analyzing, designing and evaluating the educational interventions within each project in a step-by-step approach. Finally, to summarize this graduation project, in collaboration with Mediamatic in Amsterdam, I designed a recipe book with a lesson plan on food, art and secondary school pupils. Through the projects and underlying research, the recipe book will guide people interested in exploring food and design when working with secondary school pupils. My aim is to create new opportunities by bringing the subject of food and art to life in secondary education.