For Coco Bustin, the body is a beautiful vessel. She first learned to appreciate it in drawing classes at Tufts University, where she gazed at every curve and contour with wonder. Nudity, she realized, was an artistic invitation. A natural foodie, she was drawn to nyotaimori, the Japanese art of eating sushi off a naked woman’s body. When she hosted one such event and the model canceled at the last minute, Bustin boldly transformed from artist to canvas, a vulnerable, immersive experience that would shape her vision for Food & Form.
Six years later, the founder of Art as Experience is about to unveil a “social experiment” that engages multiple senses and breaks down barriers around the body. On Sept. 7, she will host the second annual Food & Form event in Worthington. There will be local food. There will be llamas. And yes, there will be nudity.
Bustin wants to put a modern spin on the tradition. The nyotaimori practice typically involves using female models who are instructed to lie still and quiet. (Some critics claim the practice objectifies women.) Food & Form’s creative director wants to honor all bodies with a male, female and nonbinary model that fully clothed diners can engage with. “When you eat from them, you get very intimate with them,” says Bustin, who grew up in Milton and now lives in Northampton. “We make them feel comfortable and more than just a plate. They are human in this experience.”
She encourages the models to share how they are feeling in the moment and has a body therapist on site in case anyone needs a minute to step out. Last year, the models were more relaxed than the guests. Many of the 85 participants “came to the venue quite anxious”; some had to ask permission to take food every time they approached. Everyone came together after the meal to appreciate what was on offer.
This year’s communal portion of the event, where guests can express their own creativity, is a surprise element that includes another of Bustin’s loves: flowers to express gratitude for the models’ generosity. “I like to invite people into the artistic creation process,” she says, “so guests feel like they’ve contributed to something beautiful.”
“We still have so much to learn about engaging with the body,” says Chantelle Castano, an Oxford resident who is the event’s creative manager and owner of Soluna Medicines. The holistic artist points out that nudity is often confused with sexuality, but that Food & Form is about making naked bodies the focus, about treating them as sacred. (When purchasing tickets, guests are asked to fill out a questionnaire that emphasizes this distinction.) She says the night will be a “multisensory experience” that includes jazz music and two DJs, performance art, nature, and a campfire, so guests can engage with the art in whatever way they feel comfortable. “So many beautiful conversations happen around the campfire,” she says, pointing out that it burns all night so guests who stay overnight outdoors and want to continue the party until noon the next day can keep the party going.
This year, Castano and her friend Marie Murry will offer interactive performances throughout the evening. “Collective art is key,” she says, pointing out that art in community offers more space and opportunity. “I prefer playing an instrument in a band to performing alone. I prefer being an artist who can walk through the crowd to staying on stage.”
Castano hopes others will feel comfortable enough to become curious. A recent conversation with her adolescent niece, who cringed at the mere thought of food on a naked body, reminded her how far she herself has come in her relationship with nudity.
“I have suffered physical trauma over the years and could hardly be naked alone,” she says. Her breakthrough came when she moved to a retreat center. For ten months, she lived among people who regularly walked around naked but never pressured her to take off her clothes. In fact, they offered to let her put on clothes if it made her feel more comfortable. “I never want to ask you to cover your body,” she told them, and today she is determined to help others feel safe and free.
Bustin and Castano are BIPOC artists who began pushing boundaries together in college. Castano, who attended Boston University, was walking her cat one day when a man told her that his friend Coco would be smitten with her charisma. “She was always up for some mischief and tried to make her life as creative and unique as possible,” Castano says. The two met – sans cat – and ended up hosting many art parties together. After going their separate ways, they reunited in 2022 and began hosting nude retreats before collaborating at Food & Form.
Castano points out that the event is a way to change the culture, like a nonviolent communication workshop might, but without being “so pushy.” Reciprocity is built into the event rather than defining it. It also helps her and Bustin reflect on themselves. “We both want to know who we are and why, and be open to more love and life and beauty and experiences.”
The event’s experienced chefs, Kory Behrens and Zack Novak, from Northampton and Sunderland respectively, crossed paths two years ago and hit it off immediately. Behrens’ work has taken him to Japan and Novak fondly remembers his Polish great-aunt cooking “magical stinky food” for the family; both have a deep appreciation for the cultural significance and aesthetic appeal of food.
The five-course meal they’re serving is an ode to Western Massachusetts. “There’s just so much good stuff here, you really have to let it shine,” says Behrens. The couple will focus on seasonal favorites like corn, tomatoes and apples, using every part of the food to create self-contained dishes that serve three at room temperature.
“It’s like taking a palette of colors and seeing what you can do with it,” says Novak.
Behrens considers himself fortunate to be able to serve high-caliber creatives for whom food is not just a meal, but art in itself. Last year’s guests traveled from Boston, Providence, New York and Connecticut.
Novak notes that he wants to create dishes that make guests linger over their meal to enhance the dining experience, and that while he and Behrens will create atmosphere, they will still be part of the bigger picture.
“They didn’t just call catering and throw some crackers at people,” he says. “We’re going to be an equal part of it and actually create an experience together with other artists.”
The two didn’t think much about the nudity other than the logistics and aesthetics of serving food on a person. “They didn’t even notice,” says Behrens. “I don’t know if it’s because I live in western Massachusetts, but it doesn’t seem to be a big deal to me.”
This year’s event is being held in Worthington on the property of an herbalist whose property includes a river and free-roaming llamas. (The address is given to guests when purchasing tickets.) Bustin points out that there is an entire room on the property dedicated to costumes for the staff to use. Some of the herbs on the property are incorporated into the food and cocktails.
Upon arrival, guests are encouraged to mingle and explore the property. Dinner is served for two hours to the sound of live jazz. After the ritual of thanking the dead, DJs host a dance party that continues into the next day. Guests are invited to camp, have a barbecue and swim in the river.
Last year, Bustin found a group of guests enjoying the water naked. “It was still this very non-sexual experience that was amazing to watch,” she says. (Guests are invited to come in evening wear, with room for flexibility “under the right circumstances.”)
“I heard the word ‘hope’ a few times,” says Castano. “It was a very hopeful experience to be with a group of almost 100 people, including staff, all coming together in the name of art, food and bodies.”
For security reasons, the event is invite-only, meaning hosts will want to verify who guests are before confirming on Facebook. Attendees will receive a guest list and staff will be prepared to assist people throughout the evening as needed.
The hosts hope guests leave with a sense of respect for the ordinary and extraordinary about the body. “Being a spirit in a human body is the most spiritual experience you can have,” says Castano. “It’s a spiritual vessel for life.”
“Why are we so uncomfortable with nudity,” asks Bustin, “when it is so normal?”
Would you like to attend Food & Form? Send an email to [email protected] if you are interested and the hosts will send you a discount code and an invitation.
Melissa Karen Sances lives in Western Massachusetts, where she writes memoirs and stories about extraordinary people. You can reach her at [email protected].
