>> “How the Sausage Gets Made” is an invitation to explore how ever-changing foods, cultures, and technologies shape our identities and human connections.
>> The Head of Studies for the Degree in Fine Arts, Amparo Sard, highlights internationalisation as key to the academic training of our students and the innovative educational methodology of our centre
Columbia College Chicago professor and ADEMA Fine Arts Degree international resident, Taylor Hokanson, presented this afternoon at the University Research Centre of Mallorca “ES CRUM” a “performance” of his research work carried out during his stay in the first semester of the 2024/2025 academic year at the ADEMA University School, “How the sausage gets made”.
The performance, which was explained during a seminar to students of the Fine Arts Degree at the ADEMA University School, explores the connections between Chicago and Mallorca through food, with pork as an important meeting point. As Taylor Hokanson explained, “with this research, I want to delve into different notions of cultural and community transformation of food and the traditions that surround it by combining sculpture and video.”
Since pagan circles, pigs have been considered “lunar” animals, associated with the capacity for transformation. In Mallorca, this relationship is manifested in the matances, a family tradition that celebrates the transformation of pork into sobrasada, perpetuating a cultural and gastronomic link. Although these practices have diminished, the tradition remains in Mallorcan supermarkets, where products made from cured pork are a testament to its legacy.
In this sense, the artist relates the island of Mallorca to Chicago, known as the “pig butcher of the world”. “The industrial approach to meat processing began in 1865. This system made meat more accessible, but depersonalised the process, distancing the consumer from the reality of animal slaughter. This is how products such as the hot dog were born, an icon of a diet disconnected from its biological roots”, explained Hokanson.
In the current context, marked by political polarizations, “How the sausage gets made” suggests that the act of eating together can be revolutionary. The project encourages reflection on how food and cultural practices connect people and how these interactions can transform human relationships.
The work fuses digital and traditional elements, integrating masks inspired by cultural festivals and sculptures that reinterpret modern forms, creating a new visual language that unites different cultures.
For the Head of Studies for the Bachelor of Fine Arts, Amparo Sard, “internationalization is a fundamental axis in the academic training of our students. Every time we welcome international artists and researchers such as Taylor Hokanson, we broaden our perspectives and enrich ourselves by adding synergies with universities such as Columbia Chicago and inspiring our students. These types of initiatives reinforce our educational methodology of training professionals who understand art as a transformative medium in an interconnected world.”
About Taylor Hokanson
Taylor Hokanson is a professor of art and design at Columbia College Chicago. His work is defined by the dissolution of the boundary between the real and the virtual, exploring how technology transforms traditional concepts such as authorship, experience, and ownership. In a world where information and objects can be cheaply produced and shared via the internet, Hokanson uses his practice to problematize our evolving relationship with technology.
For over 20 years, his work has been exhibited internationally at renowned events such as Ars Electronica (Austria), SIGGRAPH (Canada) and ISEA (Hong Kong), as well as in different exhibitions in Germany, Finland, Estonia, Italy and Spain. His interdisciplinary approach mixes art, technology and functionality, creating artistic objects that are confrontational, functional and often absurd.
Hokanson is a pioneer in the open source and free hardware movement, actively contributing to platforms such as Instructables, Github, and Linkedin Learning. He is also the co-host of the Opposable Thumbs podcast and a board member of the New Media Caucus.