As the choices we make around food consumption is increasing seen as an environmental and social responsibility, the ethics of its production are now coming in conflict with many of the cultural traditions that surround the meals we eat. Instead of abandoning these traditions in favour of alternative lifestyle trends, the ‘New Ultimate Imperial Feast’ uses the history of China’s most extravagant banquets to bring cultural heritage and radical food production techniques together.
Based on the ‘Manchu Han Imperial Feast’—a meal from the Qing dynasty that consists of at least 108 unique dishes that united the Manchu and Han Chinese cultures—the "New Ultimate Imperial Feast" is a series of dining experiences that bridges developments in biotechnology and agricultural systems with cultural traditions to broaden our perception of what future food systems could look like. Examining the notion of locality, rarity and luxury in traditional dishes from around the world, this ongoing project proposes new cultural practices that can unite us in the face of global ethical dilemmas, such as environment pollution, animal cruelty, and mass extinction.