Food fight: An artist’s edible exploration of class warfare

In discussions of social class, food is an oft-used metaphor. ("Life is a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death!" laughs the titular socialite in Auntie Mame, set during the Great Depression.) So if you're trying to find a creative way to depict class warfare, a massive food fight seems pretty apropos.

Caitlin Berrigan evidently thinks so. The Boston-based, MIT-educated artist is the creator of Spectrum of Inevitable Violence, a thrillingly bizarre event that forms part of "The 2012 deCordova Biennial." Running through April 22, the survey exhibition features the work of 23 artists and collaboratives, whose pieces, performances, and programs are mostly being hosted at the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum (51 Sandy Pond Road, Lincoln, 781.259.8355). But this year, the biennial festivities are extending into Boston - and Spectrum is certainly one of the more eccentric events. Berrigan describes her brainchild as an expression of the underlying tensions within and between social classes. It's also a food-flinging melee, one that will erupt on Wednesday, February 15, at the BCA Cyclorama (539 Tremont Street, Boston, 617.426.5000). If you're ready to get messy, RSVP to programs@decordova.org and report to the Cyclorama at 6 p.m. to fill out a survey on your own socioeconomic background; the data will be used to assign you a territory to defend. After arming yourself with edible ammo, it'll be time to ready, aim, and fire against your fellow food fighters. And don't feel guilty about playing with your food: Berrigan compiled her stockpile using dented canned goods and similarly unsalable groceries.

According to Berrigan, the seed for Spectrum came in 2009, during a residency amid Berlin's pulsing underground arts scene. "I'd always been interested in issues of social class," says the artist. "In Berlin, there was this pseudo-equalizing of everyone in the arts community, but at the same time, it was very clear that some people, primarily the American crowd, had access to independent wealth." Berrigan began looking at classism at home with fresh eyes, deciding to explore the subject while drawing on her past experience in using food as a medium. (Previous works have involved giant marshmallows, ice cream made from human breast milk, and even gallery walls painted with a sweet flavoring, which visitors were invited to taste.)

"Historically, food has long been a symbol of excess, not unlike the ones people tend to prioritize today," says Berrigan. "To me, a food fight seemed like an interesting way to display the interpersonal tensions that build and sometimes explode." With the recent advent of the Occupy movement and the increasingly heated national dialogue on class disparity, Spectrum seems like timely food for thought. Says Berrigan, "Ultimately, the idea behind this whole fight isn't pitting people against each other so much as displaying this great mess that we're in!" For added insight into the project, head back to the Cyclorama the day after the food fight, February 16, for Ambiguous Affiliations, a free 6:30 p.m. discussion featuring Berrigan, curator Anabel Vázquez Rodriguez, and sociology professor James G. Ennis. And for full details on the deCordova's biennial events and exhibitions, visit decordova.org.