Food

Spring News & Spicy Dinner Parties

~ rashatayeh

Sooooo…. a lot has happened since my last post here and my artist residency at Brunswick Mechanics Institute.  Firstly, I gotta admit, Im just not all that great at keeping up with this blog and social media… so forgive me! But I love that most of what I do is away from screens.  I’ve spent most of my winter in my studio creating, mixing herbs in my apothecary or cooking in my kitchen… and since Spring is (finally) here, gardening duties are calling!  The sun is out and the plants are waking up after a long and cold winter.

Secondly, I was invited to present Spice Trails at Footscray Community Arts Centre!  And what pleasure it was to come back to the Gabriel Gallery at FCAC to host an intimate dinner party over two nights in late August.

Spice Trails performance dinners on 24th and 25th Aug were a huge success. Thanks to everyone who attended and participated in this ever evolving live art project inspired by the Silk Road. And thanks to Footscray Community Arts Centre for making it happen & the chefs at Happy River Cafe for the delicious feast, and the talented crew at Pomp & Splendour for the gorgeous flower arrangements.

The next seating on 26th Oct is now SOLD OUT. But there is a waiting list at this link if you’d like to register your interest should tickets (or new sessions) come available http://footscrayarts.com/event/spice-trails/

Below is a slide show of some images from August’s seatings, taken by Felis Sarcepuedes.

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What I love about this project is that it always looks and feels different, depending on who is in the room!  The dynamic nature of live art and participatory art make every seating beautifully unique.  Since last year, Spice Trails has evolved into an immersive live art series of performative dinners and installations, inviting guests to explore and experience the cultural, social and political dimensions of contemporary food culture while drawing on important histories inspired by the spice trade along Silk Road.

This journey explores the development and destruction of great civilisations that has shaped the way we eat today. The narrative unfolds through a 5-course vegan meal with matching wine available, inviting the audience to become performers, sharing stories of merchants in multiple languages.  The route this year followed five stops along the (massive) Silk Road, starting in China’s Sichuan Province, travelling through India, Palestine, Southern Spain and finally, stopping in France for dessert. Spices at each one of these places weaved everything from flavours, colours and stories.

This year, I was really curious about experimenting with natural dying, and different textures of silk.  There is something special about exploring materiality through all of our senses.  You would’ve noticed in some of the images above the various colours of silks presented with the spices they are dyed with.  My personal favourite is the bright yellow of raw silk soaked in turmeric.  And as one of the notes read:

“In every apple you are eating Jupiter; in every plum, Saturn”

And with Turmeric you eat the sun.

I’m looking forward to hosting another seating next month!  For now, back in the studio to get on with it.

Spice Trails is back

~ rashatayeh

It is a great honour to be an artist in residence at Brunswick Mechanics Institute next month to further develop my performative dinner and Live Art work Spice Trails & Trade Routes.

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An iteration of this work was presented in my studio last year, and Im excited to have the opportunity to develop it further in my residency, where I will further explore the cultural, social and political dimensions of contemporary food culture while still drawing on important histories inspired by spice trade along Silk Road.

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This immersive Live Art project is part installation & part performative dinner inviting the audience on a journey to listen, taste and smell their way through different countries, cultures and communities. This journey explores the development and destruction of great civilisations that has shaped the way we eat today.

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Images from this post are from last year’s performative dinner, taken by my talented friend, Phoebe Powell.

I will be writing more updates during my residency about my research and development.  And stay tuned for more information about the presentation of this year’s performative dinner!

 

 

Palestinian Cooking Workshop: Autumn Equinox

~ rashatayeh

This installment of my Palestinian Cooking Workshop series is inspired by the Autumnal Equinox* and this lovely time of year when leaves change colour, days start get slightly shorter and a bit cooler. As usual I will draw inspiration from mama & teita (my mother & grandmother), who taught me everything I know about cooking, and passed down a wealth of nurturing recipes!

This two-hour workshop will take you on a sensory journey into Palestinian cuisine and look specifically at foods and herbs that support us during the transitions of autumn, as we move away from the warmer months of summer into the cooler months of winter.

During the workshop we will focus on:

– Traditional herbal infusions & remedies, from selected herbs and spices used in Palestine and the Levant

– Cook a delicious vegan meal & discuss nutritional benefits of seasonal produce**

Participants will go home with:

  • Recipes of the meal shared on the day
  • A deeper understanding & curiosity for delicious foods from Palestine & traditional herbal medicine
  • A jar of their personally crafted herbal infusion (optional for $8 each during the workshop, cash only)

This workshop is limited to 12 spaces. So, book early.

Cost: $65, to book click here. 

When: 2:30pm – 4:30pm, Sunday 26th March 2017

Where: CERES Community Kitchen, cnr Roberts & Stewart St Brunswick East VIC 3057

If you have any questions, please contact me on rasha.tayeh@gmail.com

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*An Equinox is an astronomical event that happens twice a year, once in spring and once in autumn. It’s when the tilt of the Earth’s axis is inclined neither away from nor towards the Sun. During Equinoxes the tilt of the Earth (with respect to the Sun) is 0° and because of it, the duration of the day and the night are almost equal on Equinox day i.e. 12 hours.

Equinoxes occur on 20th or 21st March and 22nd or 23rd September each year and both days have equal length of day and night. While it is autumn time in the Southern hemisphere, March Equinox is called Autumnal Equinox, and in Melbourne this year, it falls on the 20th March. So to celebrate this time of year and connect with the natural cycles, this workshop’s content will reference the Equinox, its energy, transitions and the seasonal foods & medicinal herbs we can use to best support our bodies, minds and spirits.

**Vegan light snack/tasting included – please contact me when you book if you have any allergies.

Palestinian Cooking Workshop 2

~ rashatayeh

In this two-hour Palestinian Cooking Workshop we will explore wild herbs, the liver & digestive health.

During the workshop we will:
– Cook a delicious vegan dish* & discuss nutritional benefits of selected wild herbs, or “edible weeds”
– Learn about traditional herbal infusions for detoxification, cleansing & good digestion

Participants will go home with:
– Recipes of the meal shared on the day & notes on how to look after the liver & digestive system
– A deeper understanding & curiosity for delicious foods from Palestine & the use of wild edible herbs

Workshop limited to 12 spaces. So, book early to avoid disappointment!

*Tasting/light snack included – please contact me asap if you have any allergies.

Cost: $65
When: 2:30pm – 4:30pm, Saturday 4th February 2017
Where: CERES Community Kitchen, cnr Roberts & Stewart St Brunswick East VIC 3057

For tickets visit this link.

If you have any questions, please contact me on rasha.tayeh@gmail.com

Growing Food Project

~ rashatayeh ~ 1 Comment

It’s been 3 years since I released my short film the Growing Food Project (2013), and as this year is coming to a close, I’m feeling quite reflective thinking about how things have changed in the last few years… and how many more local food projects have sprung up around Melbourne since this little film was made.

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Video still, Growing Food Project (2013)

This 15-minute film documents Melbourne’s local food movement and community food initiatives, where people come together to build local, fair and sustainable food systems.  I feel honoured that most of the people featured in the film & others who have worked behind the scenes are good friends of mine.  To learn more about the film check out this blog post from the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV).

The film had a great run screening nationally & internationally.  And I’m really humbled by the feedback I received and the number of emails telling me that since watching this little film, some people felt inspired to start a garden in their homes or their neighbourhoods.

It makes my heart smile knowing that the art I create resonates.

The film has been offline for a bit, while screening at international film festivals.  But the time has come to share it with you again…  So click here to watch it.

In loving memory of my dear friend & teacher, Glenda M Lindsay Jan 23 1954 – Jan 15 2017.

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Video still, Growing Food Project (2013)

 

Growing Food Project, film by Rasha Tayeh © All Rights ReservedPrint

 

Moreland Food Gardens Network

~ rashatayeh

Earlier this month, myself & friends from around Moreland got together to celebrate six years of food activism, community gardening, local food projects and other amazing achievements by our group the Moreland Food Gardens Network (MFGN).

As a co-founder of MFGN, it makes me so proud to see how this group has become an important asset for our community.  The network provides an opportunity for people in Moreland to come together on a regular basis, to share information and collaborate in a variety of ways to improve access to seasonal produce and growing food in & around the area.

Recently MFGN was involved in the Urban Agriculture Forum hosted by Sustain & Melbourne University’s Burnley Campus to discuss Urban Agriculture in Melbourne, its achievements, lessons, enablers and opportunities.

To check out what Moreland Food Gardens Network is all about, visit our website or follow us on Facebook & twitter.

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Palestinian Cooking Workshop

~ rashatayeh

Inspired by my grandmother’s kitchen, this two-hour workshop will take you on a sensory journey into Palestinian cuisine.

During the workshop we will focus on:
– an introduction to herbal medicine, from selected herbs and spices used in Palestine and the Levant
– cook a delicious 2 course vegetarian lunch & discuss nutritional benefits of seasonal produce
– learn about herbal infusions for good sleep, digestion & immunity

Participants will go home with:
– a jar of their personally crafted herbal infusion
– recipes of the meal shared on the day
– a deeper understanding & curiosity for delicious foods from Palestine

Workshop limited to 12 spaces. So, book early to avoid disappointment!

Vegetarian lunch included – please contact me asap if you have any allergies (vegan options also available on request).

Cost: $65 , to book click here. 
When: 10am – 12pm, Saturday 12th November 2016
Where: CERES Community Kitchen, cnr Roberts & Stewart St Brunswick East VIC 3057

If you have any questions, please contact me on rasha.tayeh@gmail.com

 

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