I started my blog a month ago, in conjunction with starting my residency at AirSpace … a whole month has passed and I haven’t posted a single update! It has been a year since I have had a studio so it is exciting to be getting back into making work and researching in ernest again, however, I have been equally occupied in exploring Stoke as I am completely new to the area. I shall be posting my backlog of news over the next couple of days and now start to blog regularly as I am finally feeling fully settled.
My first major discovery has been the Staffordshire Oatcake. I am interested in the fact that this regional delicacy was completely unknown to me (and all those I know back down South). We have extensive knowledge of pho, tacos and bratwurst, yet comparatively local delicacies (like the Staffs oatcake) in fact appear far more foreign. I wonder if this is to do with the movement of communities? Or if this is more an effect of lifestyle programming and trends?
Interestingly, some of the myths tied with the origin of the Oatcake are exotic in nature. One of which is the idea that oatcakes were bought back by the Staffordshire Regiment from service in the Indian Raj. Some claim that the local soldiers took such a liking to poppadoms that they tried to emulate them on their return to Staffordshire. In fact, historical evidence dates the humble oatcake much earlier, nonetheless, it’s still affectionately known locally as a ‘Potteries Poppadom’, or a ‘Tunstall Tortilla’.
In my practice I am growing increasingly interested in the generation of myths and the manner in which we fill in gaps in our knowledge. In particular the allure of the exotic in this process.
