An Edible Family in a Mobile Home (2023)
For one week in 1976 artist Bobby Baker invited visitors inside her prefabricated East London home to eat pieces of a ‘cake family’ while she served cups of tea, performing the role of polite female host. A faithful recreation has landed outside the Tate Britain and this modernised version has added hand sanitiser, accessible ramps, decaf and vegan options but everything else is essentially the same, right down to the 70s era newsprint sourced to cover the walls with depressing recession news and rampant advertising sexism. And since each installation runs for a full month, the ‘hosts’ have been sourced from art schools and You Make It, a race and class inclusion charity.
I visited on opening day, when Baker was on site supervising, and I asked her what it was like to re-create her work after almost 50 years. “Brilliantly surreal” was her response, leading to a brief exchange with her apprentices who noted how they’ve seen significant changes in society compared to what they were reading on the newsprint decorating the floor, ceiling and walls. It was a perfect topic to engage in over a cuppa, but was over before it began when Baker asked if I’d tried the cake before politely but firmly reminding her team that there was a new queue of people patiently waiting to come in. Being a host is hard.
I suppose attendance levels in 1976 would have allowed for a more relaxed neighbourly chat about life, politics, and those cheeky 70s tabloids adverts that modern audiences will certainly snigger at. However, in the week before this recreation opened it received more media coverage than the original did in the 50 years since it ran (or so I assume). That’s both a good thing and a bad thing, since I expect the inevitable Instagram queues will likely overwhelm the exhibition hosts and lead to drastically shortchanged experiences for all involved.
Even though there were no timekeepers actively pushing me out I could feel the stress of the staff trying their best to manage the queues behind me. My visit lasted 8 minutes but I easily could have stayed for half an hour or more. Not only is the edible installation fascinating — You get to eat a baby made of cake! There’s icing all over the walls! — but the decision to revisit the 70s newspapers, rather than use modern equivalents, is perfectly in keeping with discussions the nearby Women in Revolt show is trying to prompt. Except it’s hard to fully consider how far we’ve come, or not, when you barely have enough time to scarf some cake and drink a thimble of English breakfast. (Note: serving tea in an espresso cup is a brilliant passive aggressive tactic I’m going to save for my next unwanted guests!)
But here’s the deal: I’ve been having those chats, just not in Baker’s recreated home. Her art and hospitality warmed me up on a rainy, cold day and left me with more than enough food for thought that I’ve brought back to my own neighbourhood. I hope others have the same inspired experience, and take the time to chat with the hosts about more than just how tasty the cake is.
Plan your visit
‘An Edible Family in a Mobile Home’ will have two short runs:
—> 8 November – 3 December 2023
—> 8 March – 7 April 2024
Free — entrance located on the South Lawn, Millbank, London SW1P 4RG
Visit tate.org.uk and follow @tate on Instagram for more info about the venue and to confirm opening days & times for the exhibit.
Visit the Bobby Baker Wikipedia page and follow @bobbyartistbaker on Instagram for more info about the artist.
PLUS…
Check the What’s On page so you don’t miss any other great shows closing soon.
Subscribe to the Weekly Newsletter. (It’s FREE!)