From the earthy to the ethereal, the work of Minneapolis experimental design studio ROLU spans from landscape design to conceptual art, fashion to esoteric online explorations. Given this range, the Walker’s grassy hillside seems a fitting site for ROLU’s residency: where better to host activities by this genre-hopping trio—a group engaged in an open field of endeavors—than Open Field?

Weaving together gastronomy, sensory and tactile experiences, opera, agriculture, history, and activism, Kitchen Lab—a two-week residency on the Walker’s Open Field in late June—convened an experiment in provoking interaction and discussion through the shared experience of food. Heavy Table editor James Norton samples the project’s offerings.

In its design work and on its blog, Minneapolis’ ROLU explores ideas at the nexus of architecture, landscape design, and conceptual art. Artists-in-residence at Open Field this month, they aim to link the digital and the actual. “We are interested in reaching into [the Web’s] river of images and make something tangible from them,” says ROLU’s Matt Olson. “Creating something physical—taking an action.”

With the launch of Kitchen Lab—an exploration of the home hearth and how the role of kitchens can be reconceived—Open Field artists Betsy and Carl DiSalvo discuss food culture with the Walker’s Susy Bielak and Sara Nichol. First topic: Why the recent upsurge in art, consumerism, and activism surrounding food?

Agonism. The word can feel awkward and obtuse—even painful. But for months it’s been at the tip of the tongues of Walker staff and colleagues who’ve been considering it as an approach to a politics that embraces difference and disagreement as important parts of democracy. While the term may be unfamiliar to many, agonism speaks acutely to our current political moment. So … what is it?

Uncharted territories, even in a relatively sparsely populated state like Minnesota, are few and far between. But each January, when the average temperature lingers around 7 degrees Fahrenheit, one such place comes into being, briefly, on the frozen surface of Medicine Lake, where artists reimagine ice-fishing shacks as the locus for a vibrant pop-up community.