MÅLTIDET at Madservice Aalborg

At Kunsthal Spritten, we’re keenly interested in how contemporary art, one of society’s creative resources, can help tackle some of the major challenges of our time – for example by contributing to a stronger food culture that supports community, wellbeing and nutrition.

So what happens when an artist joins forces with a public institution to rethink the daily meal in a specific context, reimagining its role and its potential?

For the first stage of the project, the artist Johanne A. Stoffersen (b. 1994) has been invited to enter the kitchens at Madservice Aalborg, a catering service whose tasks include delivering meals to thirty-four care homes in Aalborg Municipality. Throughout February, Stoffersen will co-operate with Madservice Aalborg’s kitchen staff to develop new, greener lunch meals served to care home residents. In September, the project moves to Vesterkærets School, where senior pupils will join Stoffersen in the kitchen and serve food to one another.

The entire project is being followed by the consultancy firm Seismonaut, which will gather data and lessons learnt along the way. This will culminate in a report for other organisations to find information and inspiration in.

At Kunsthal Spritten, we are greatly interested in our roots. That’s why we’re also drawn to the meal as a concept and to lunch as a ritual that, for many Danes, goes hand in hand with the Rød Aalborg aquavit. For 80 years, aquavit was produced at De Danske Spritfabrikker, and the clear spirit still appears on many Danish lunch tables and is a staple of holidays and special occasions. With this project, we explore that heritage using contemporary art as a prism.

MÅLTIDET is realised in collaboration with public institutions in Aalborg Municipality and presented to care home residents throughout February. In September, the project continues at Vesterkærets School, where senior pupils will join Stoffersen in the kitchen and serve food to one another. 

MÅLTIDET is realised in collaboration with Bikubenfonden (the Bikuben Foundation), with the ambition of creating new kinds of encounters with contemporary art.