We take an unconventional look at the humble cabbage, exploring its production, the power of its image, even its ideology. Though nowadays granted little theoretical elaboration, in antiquity, discourses concerning cabbage were considerably more elevated. Cabbage was granted a bewildering range of medicinal virtues, and was even regarded as a kind of deity, causing some to use it when taking oaths: “So help me, Cabbage”. The event is a conversation, illustrated with short films, between an expert in sustainable food production, a contemporary artist working with cabbage motifs, and a classicist researching the ancient roots of ecological materialism.

Panel:

• Matthew Fox, Professor of Classics, University of Glasgow
• Sophie Carabine, OBE, PhD FICFor. Member of faculty, MBA Sustainable Food and Agriculture Royal Agricultural University. Former Chair, AHDB Potato Board
• Rachel Adams

Presented as part of The Dear Green Bothy, a collaborative cultural programme from the University of Glasgow’s College of Arts showcasing creative and critical responses to climate emergency.