About

CHERRY TRULUCK is an artist and researcher, who tends towards edible, collective, collaborative and sometimes curatorial work. Her transdisciplinary practice explores symbiosis, attunement and interdependence in more-than-human ecologies, as both an artistic strategy and agroecological methodology. Working with community building, plant science, cooking, farming and performance, she seeks rhythms in the dialogue that food creates between the body and the land.

Since early 2022, Cherry’s practice has focused on temporalities and rhythms in the processes of plant-breeding and growing, building on research at the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) at the University of Aberystwyth. This has developed into her current long-term project The Animist Almanac, initiated whilst resident on the Politics of Food programme at Delfina Foundation. She is the current artist in residence for the Cranborne Chase National Landscape (AONB).

Cherry Truluck has been operating in the intersections of food, art and community for many years. Her career has journeyed from architecture through theatre design, performance and live art, ultimately crossing over into food and food growing practices. An artist, educator and awarding winning chef in her own right, in 2018 she founded Custom Food Lab to foster radical engagement between artists and food systems from a community restaurant in Folkestone, Kent. It went on to develop into a decentralised programe of collective action led by artists, designers, researchers, growers + activists who are passionate about food and the future. As Creative Director until 2023, Cherry ran the Custom Folkestone restaurant with its unique community bartering and exchange programme, co-produced 3 arts programmes and curated Seeding the Commons, a major programme of art and community engagement in partnership with the Gaia Foundation, supported by Arts Council England.

ARTISTIC & RESEARCH PRACTICE

2023

“Out of Time” Culinary Performance – Hayward Gallery, Dear Earth Closing Ritual

Edible EbbleArtist in Residence – Chase and Chalke Landscape Partnership, Cranborne Chase National Landscape (AONB)

This Food is RubbishCollaborative events with Annalee Levin

The Animist Almanac” ongoing performative research project

2022

The Politics of Food2022 UK Associate – Delfina Foundation

Seeding the CommonsCurator – Custom Food Lab

“The Oat and the Oyster” Narrative Feast for Nicoletta Fiorucci Foundation

The Breeders Eye arts based research project, IBERS, University of Aberystwyth – with UK Food Systems

2021

Member of Artist Steering Group “Private Weather Diaries” with Hilary Powell, Sage Brice and Alice Tatton Brown 

Festive Feast: Land/Sea Ecologies curated meal for Gaia Art Foundation

“Grief Pie” performance for Yuvel Soria’s “Ajayu Transitorio” Dance City Newcastle

Signals and Storms” Geocinema online residency for Freeport Institute, Barcelona (with Speculative Landscapes collective) .

A Forager’s Calendar National Food Service London Community Cooks resource 

FAR (Food Art Research network)” an international network of food artists conceived and established with curator Madeleine Collie, hosted by Custom Food Lab

Speculative Landscapes” member of international artistic research collective developing work attuned to landscapes as a methodology of instituting for the future

Placemakers” process-based residency, The Old Chapel, Tisbury

A Meal in 6 Landscapes”, communal meal for Delfina Foundation, London (launch of The Politics of Food publication)

Mouthfeel [and the Toothache Disco]”, multisensory food event, for Something Held in the Mouth,  Custom Folkestone. 

Custom Food Lab Community Feasts Curator/Chef – each in collaboration with a local artist of a different nationality, bringing local people together to experience the breadth of culture and food within their own community.

Near:Bower”, a project for Creative Europe Platform Magic Carpets connecting people from isolated communities through the experience of a poetic landscape of locally foraged food and drink.

Topographical Digest” edible landscape for Across Tracks, UCA School of Architecture,  UR Folkestone

 “A Coastal Town” a story in food for Creative Folkestone community relaunch

Overall” a performative meal, in collaboration with artist Mira Albrecht, for Vessel

Exteriority Complex” a Walking Lecture for Folkestone is an Art School 

Woodland Kitchen” for the Ash Project, Kent Downs AONB

BRAIN FOOD” Curated feast for Normal? Festival of the Brain, Quarterhouse UK

The Architecture of Anxiety”, group exhibition curated for Folkestone Fringe Push:Pull at Folkestone Triennial

It’s All Going to the Dogs” Performance collaboration with Alberta Jones, Strangelove Festival

“Re:ACT”, community art event, curated by Cherry Truluck and Alberta Jones, Red Door Studios, London

Founder member of ActiveLayers, online performance collective

Winner of Maryland Institute College of Art Research Residency: Gendered Performance of Space

OTHER WORK

Performance Designer and Art Director (2005-2019).  Theatre + Live Art Design Collaborators included Steven Berkoff, Trevor Nunn, Max Barton, Xavier De Sousa, LAS Theatre, Jermyn Street Theatre (Tom Littler, Anthony Biggs), Snapdragon Productions and Opera UpClose.  Immersive Events (art directing) included ‘The Lost Pagodas’ Brighton Royal Pavilion, for artist Geraldine Pilgrim, ‘The Scottish Play’ launch party for Manchester International Festival, ‘Streets of Spain’ at the Southbank Centre for Campo Viejo, Oxfam’s ‘The Circle’, Jameson Cult Film Club, Havana Club Immersive experiences, Paris Games Week for Playstation

Arts educator (2007-ongoing) specialising in delivering workshops with SEN groups. Key projects have included: Custom Food Lab’s community and schools programme; Roundhouse London (Design for Performance workshops); Arts Depot London (creative workshops for young people with learning disabilities and/or neurodiversities); Dover Arts Development (STEM to STEAM project); Creative Folkestone (Block 67 community art workshops); Creative Partner to Cambridge SEN School, Hammersmith.

Higher Education: Assistant Professor (MFA Fine Art) Central Saint Martins/Tokyo University of the Arts
Visiting Lecturer (Performance design) Canterbury Christchurch University and Royal Holloway University