Mud pie: Dirt banquet promotes messy eating

The Dirt Banquet, part of the Wellcome Trust’s Dirt season, was held in the Victorian Crossness Pumping Station. Diners were served four courses, each inspired by the ‘physical, biological, ethical, architectural, social, political and temporal dimensions of dirt’. Dishes included a radioactive cheese serum, fermented natto and imu-cooked pork.

‘The very idea of eating dirt is anathema to many people, but scientists debate whether our increasing obsession with cleanliness is making us more susceptible to infections and allergies,’ explains Guerilla Science director Jen Wong. ‘We are using their ‘hygiene hypothesis’ as a wake-up call for people to welcome dirt back into their lives – and in the case of our banquet, into their stomachs and minds.’

For more information about Bompas and Parr, see our Innovate report.