The performance ‘seas of corn’ is an introductory about the mass industrialization of the plant maize.

Why maize? 

At this moment, both maize and men are subjected to the capitalist food system that consistently seeks profit maximization. This is because corn is cheap to produce and works perfectly in processed food as a binder and as a source of sugar. But because the plant is a natural source, the food industry is constrained by the limit of the plant, as profit cannot exceed the capacity of corn to grow. To circumvent these natural limits, the food industry attempts to make natural processes as controllable as possible, thereby scalable for profit. The result is that the plant is completely stripped of its inherent qualities and reduced to a mere resource.

 

In a quest to rediscover the voice of maize within the capitalist, non-natural food industry, Brownout has created a performance that dives into the cultural and natural history of the plant maize. The performance focusses on the tale of the three sisters, a representation of corn, bean, and squash, planted together in traditional agriculture. Together they create a system that is beneficial for the growth of all three plants.

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Performers:

Sophia Bardoutsou - Lío Spinnewijn - Clio Panagiotopoulou - Laurens Voois

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Sound : Laurens Voois

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in collaboration with

Esther Maij - Alejandro Garcia Bustos - Leander Pot