Agropolis
Encyclopedia
Agropolis-Museum was a museum
describing the global story of people
, food
and agriculture
. It was located in Montpellier
, France
, but had to close in July 2010 due to a lack of funding.
Agropolis-Museum was conceived as a museum of the world’s food and agricultures by :fr:Louis Malassis in 1986, and enjoyed the support of the scientific community of Montpellier. In a building that was inaugurated in 1993, several museal sections were successively added to constitute a top level scientific and pedagogic entity.
Agropolis presented the history of early food gathering, as well as mini-exhibits on many of the world's fruit
s, vegetable
s and food animal
s. In one set of exhibits, visitor could 'meet' eight farmers from around the world, see how their homes might look and hear their stories on video. Another exhibition recreated some of the world's food and drink preparations, for example, the tea ceremony
in Japan
, pasta
making in Italy
, and coffee
rituals in Ethiopia
.
At the core of the building there was a permanent sculptural
exhibition called "The Banquet of Humanity", or "The Dining Table of the World". Eight couples sit at a round table set in furrowed ground. At the center is water and, perched atop the water, the Earth
. The couples represent three poor countries, three average income countries and two rich countries. The rich are from Japan and France, the poorest from Somalia
. Outside the circle there is another couple, excluded from the table. The work, by Henri Rouvieres, is intended to illustrate the food problems in the world.
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
describing the global story of people
People
People is a plurality of human beings or other beings possessing enough qualities constituting personhood. It has two usages:* as the plural of person or a group of people People is a plurality of human beings or other beings possessing enough qualities constituting personhood. It has two usages:*...
, food
Food
Food is any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for the body. It is usually of plant or animal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals...
and agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
. It was located in Montpellier
Montpellier
-Neighbourhoods:Since 2001, Montpellier has been divided into seven official neighbourhoods, themselves divided into sub-neighbourhoods. Each of them possesses a neighbourhood council....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, but had to close in July 2010 due to a lack of funding.
Agropolis-Museum was conceived as a museum of the world’s food and agricultures by :fr:Louis Malassis in 1986, and enjoyed the support of the scientific community of Montpellier. In a building that was inaugurated in 1993, several museal sections were successively added to constitute a top level scientific and pedagogic entity.
Agropolis presented the history of early food gathering, as well as mini-exhibits on many of the world's fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
s, vegetable
Vegetable
The noun vegetable usually means an edible plant or part of a plant other than a sweet fruit or seed. This typically means the leaf, stem, or root of a plant....
s and food animal
Animal
Animals are a major group of multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life. Most animals are motile, meaning they can move spontaneously and...
s. In one set of exhibits, visitor could 'meet' eight farmers from around the world, see how their homes might look and hear their stories on video. Another exhibition recreated some of the world's food and drink preparations, for example, the tea ceremony
Japanese tea ceremony
The Japanese tea ceremony, also called the Way of Tea, is a Japanese cultural activity involving the ceremonial preparation and presentation of matcha, powdered green tea. In Japanese, it is called . The manner in which it is performed, or the art of its performance, is called...
in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, pasta
Pasta
Pasta is a staple food of traditional Italian cuisine, now of worldwide renown. It takes the form of unleavened dough, made in Italy, mostly of durum wheat , water and sometimes eggs. Pasta comes in a variety of different shapes that serve for both decoration and to act as a carrier for the...
making in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, and coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
rituals in Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
.
At the core of the building there was a permanent sculptural
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
exhibition called "The Banquet of Humanity", or "The Dining Table of the World". Eight couples sit at a round table set in furrowed ground. At the center is water and, perched atop the water, the Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
. The couples represent three poor countries, three average income countries and two rich countries. The rich are from Japan and France, the poorest from Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
. Outside the circle there is another couple, excluded from the table. The work, by Henri Rouvieres, is intended to illustrate the food problems in the world.
External links
See also
- HungerHungerHunger is the most commonly used term to describe the social condition of people who frequently experience the physical sensation of desiring food.-Malnutrition, famine, starvation:...
- List of museums