of the day
by Stella Dimitrakopoulou
“To perform is to do, to execute, to carry out to completion, to discharge the duty, all that governs the production, presentation, and disposal of food and their staging. To perform in this sense is to make food, to serve food. It is about materials, tools, techniques, procedures, actions. It is about getting something done. It is in this sense, first and foremost, that we can speak on the performing kitchen” (Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett)
All our meals are very much based on time and movement. We focus on the dance of them, the process of alchemical transformation of the raw materials into one meal. The procedures are simple. The dance is not without challenge, but even a patient novice cook can produce excellent results.
I recorded the preparation of the food by capturing the motion of different body parts of the ‘cooks’ while they were cooking.
The cooks in the film are not specialists. Cooking is probably the last body-related art form which is still widely practiced everywhere. There is one artist within every family the one who does the cooking, the other arts (poetry, painting, singing, dancing, building etc) have already been given to specialists.
STARTER
VEGETABLE SOUP & BREAD
“Although it indicates geography, climate and social circumstances it also expresses the very personal artistic self of practicing cook. Cooking proves itself to be art through the fact that it is an expression of the individual genius just like music, painting, dance, or other art forms.” (Peter Kubelca)
MAIN DISH
BACALADO AL PIL-PIL (Traditional Basque Food)
“Whipping cream is a dancing activity, spoon-feeding a toddler is a dancing activity and more: the spoon-feeding mother proves the need for economy in the art of dance. In order to save time she employs a minimum of gesture, each gesture bearing only essential movement.” (Peter Kubelca)
DESSERT
GLIKO TOU KOUTALIOU (Trad. Greek Dessert)
In cooking we are now at a point where body involvement has been given up in favour of industrial production. The everyday art of cooking appears to have been replaced by the readymade. “In the cultural logic of late capitalism, cooking is conceived in terms of consumption rather than production, product rather than process.” (Adrian Kear)
Special thanks to Kepa Angulo, Paul Diekmann, Maria Tsesmetzi and The Deptford Project.
