Kitchen. Table. (2020-ongoing, multimedia research)
Kitchen. Table. is a multi-media research on the movement of food-making practices through migration and trade. It is a project that tells the fantastically rich and intricate (his)stories connected to the culinary landscapes of the regions we live in, and how these have developed over time. Questions on food memory, and the influence of migrations which have contributed to the spread different food cultures around the world, and the labour of love in the kitchen in a post-capitalist society, as well as the unaccounted stories of more than human beings—of plants and animals with whom the story of food begins—are all central ideas from which this project develops.
Since 2020, these questions have been channeled through the three main herbs and seeds in Za'atar; the herbal mixture that is central in the pantry of the eastern arab mediterranean kitchen: oergano, sesame and sumac. As a way of concentrating the research on the smallest element in a recipe, the project follows each of these herbs and seeds of Za'atar to unpack the stories, the people, the landscapes and the recipes that can be traced by following the life-line of a single plant.
The project manifests in food map posters, performative food encounters/dinners (live and online), and a podcast (to be launched in the fall of 2023). Every iteration is an invitation to make nuanced and intimate connections with food, the memories embodied in them, time it takes to prepare a meal, and the stories of plant-beings who sustain our bodies and perpetuate life on this planet. By connecting the geographical terrains where a plant grows, to the seas across which it travels, and the shops and kitchens they inhabit, as well as the astrological planets associated with them; this project tries to unlearn our commodified relationship to food, and unfolds the complex politics of the food on our tables.
The research materializes into performative dinners under different titles like "Chasing Za'atar" "It's a Date!" and "Tracing Sesame" as well as food map posters.
The online performance piece Holy Cow and the Pomegranate: https://vimeo.com/492129813
Video interview about the project: https://klara.be/een-wereld-van-verschil-afl-7-de-geschiedenis-van-onze-voeding
Press links:
https://e-tcetera.be/food-for-thought-samah-hijawi-on-her-kitchen-table-project/
https://www.bruzz.be/fr/culture/theatre-dance/la-chasse-au-zaatar-avec-samah-hijawi-2021-09-29
https://www.association-belgo-palestinienne.be/connaitre-notre-cuisine-et-son-histoire-nous-permet-de-mieux-nous-connaitre/
This project is produced by Kunstenwerkplaats. Partners: Beursschouwburg, vierNullvier at Vooruit, Kaai Theater, A. M. Qattan Foundation. Funded by Vlaams Gemeenchaps, and Vlaamse Gemeenschapscommissie.
Presented in: Kaai Theater, Beurschouwburg, Vooruit, Kunst en Zwalm, Qattan Foundation, Paris Institute for Advanced Study, KAAP.
Since 2020, these questions have been channeled through the three main herbs and seeds in Za'atar; the herbal mixture that is central in the pantry of the eastern arab mediterranean kitchen: oergano, sesame and sumac. As a way of concentrating the research on the smallest element in a recipe, the project follows each of these herbs and seeds of Za'atar to unpack the stories, the people, the landscapes and the recipes that can be traced by following the life-line of a single plant.
The project manifests in food map posters, performative food encounters/dinners (live and online), and a podcast (to be launched in the fall of 2023). Every iteration is an invitation to make nuanced and intimate connections with food, the memories embodied in them, time it takes to prepare a meal, and the stories of plant-beings who sustain our bodies and perpetuate life on this planet. By connecting the geographical terrains where a plant grows, to the seas across which it travels, and the shops and kitchens they inhabit, as well as the astrological planets associated with them; this project tries to unlearn our commodified relationship to food, and unfolds the complex politics of the food on our tables.
The research materializes into performative dinners under different titles like "Chasing Za'atar" "It's a Date!" and "Tracing Sesame" as well as food map posters.
The online performance piece Holy Cow and the Pomegranate: https://vimeo.com/492129813
Video interview about the project: https://klara.be/een-wereld-van-verschil-afl-7-de-geschiedenis-van-onze-voeding
Press links:
https://e-tcetera.be/food-for-thought-samah-hijawi-on-her-kitchen-table-project/
https://www.bruzz.be/fr/culture/theatre-dance/la-chasse-au-zaatar-avec-samah-hijawi-2021-09-29
https://www.association-belgo-palestinienne.be/connaitre-notre-cuisine-et-son-histoire-nous-permet-de-mieux-nous-connaitre/
This project is produced by Kunstenwerkplaats. Partners: Beursschouwburg, vierNullvier at Vooruit, Kaai Theater, A. M. Qattan Foundation. Funded by Vlaams Gemeenchaps, and Vlaamse Gemeenschapscommissie.
Presented in: Kaai Theater, Beurschouwburg, Vooruit, Kunst en Zwalm, Qattan Foundation, Paris Institute for Advanced Study, KAAP.