The ambition of Harvest was to contribute to the revival of the UK town of Peterborough's 8000 year-old agricultural heritage and to research the core motifs and objects that people associate with their cultural heritage after the process of mechanisation and industrialisation significantly changed the ways in which agriculture is now understood. The focus point of Harvest was a participatory event 70 x 7 The Meal, gathering 500 local residents to dine in Peterborough’s Cathedral Square.

 

The legacy of Harvest was presented in an exhibition at Peterborough Museum and Art Gallery accompanied by the publication Food and the Public Sphere. Two summative artworks were commissioned for the occasion ‘Bread’ and ‘Seeds’. These works pose questions about the processes of conservation and legacy, drawing new light on threatened traditions, cultures and species, drawing parallels to the process of mechanisation and industrialisation and its effects on farming practices and the general loss of biodiversity.