My Arts Councils years grant is officially coming to an end. The funding enabled me to concentrate on areas of my practice; to focus on identifying key people who would help, support and advise me on developing my work, eg Tommaso Corvi-Mora and James Lingwood. The open-ended research is been very valuable and enabled me to initiate collaborations that resulted in unforeseen exciting spin offs and developmental opportunities.
Instead of finishing with this blog and starting a new one I have decide it to continue with my Creative Inclusions Blog because the following projects have been initiated and realised through the research.
This week I started my Artist-in-Restaurant residency at Pied a Terre. This is an 8-month residency followed with a solo exhibition at the restaurant planned to coincide with the Frieze Art Fair, 2011. http://artist-in-restaurant.co.uk/press.html
I spend couple of days at the restaurant observing, talking to and getting to know some of the staff and chefs in the kitchen.
On Tuesday I had my first lunch at Pied a Terre with a freelance Stephanie Theobald who’s writing a piece for BMI Voyager (inflight magazine, high readership figures) about Artist in Restaurant and setting up a feature with a national newspapers. Our lunch/meeting lasted 3 ½ hours; we were given to choose what ever we want it from the menu; there were three types of menu: Lunch menu: 2 courses menu; A la carte: starter and main course with a choice of dessert or fine cheese; and Tasting menu: 10 courses tasting menu; Stephanie and myself chose a starter each and a main course but the food just kept coming; we starting with a canopy, which was followed by a starter and choice of beautiful bread, main course, then choice of cheeses, followed by pre desert, then desert and at the end to top it all arrived the three layered tower with amazingly presented sweets. It was a great experience to dine here and try these exceptional gourmet food carefully presented by Michelin star chef Shane Osborn.
The following day I arrived at 9.30 and after changing when strait down to the kitchen. I found all the staff busy preparing the food for the day, I said hello and observed what they were doing, from time to time moving to keep out of they way. There are 10 people at one time plus the main chef, the kitchen is so small but amazingly comfortable, they all have they own designated areas to prepare different parts of the food and so well coordinated and work together. I slowly started to get to know some of the staff and figuring out what they jobs are, fascinated with they skills and ability to work so fast and precise. The morning when very fast and at 12.00pm the first orders started to come in; these is when I moved to one corner, with a great view to observe the presentation and dishing of the orders. I was impressed with how fast but still with perfection to detail they worked and every dish was carefully examined and inspected before being send to the customer. From time to time Shane showed me and give me to taste small unique bits of food that they use in they presentation, with explaining what they are and where they come from, eg. Red blossom flowers from apple trees in Holland, green leaves which were hand picked in woodlands in Wales, that had very fresh and lemony taste….
By the time I new it was almost 4.00pm, with the last orders done, and the staff began cleaning the kitchen and immediately to prepare the food for the evening. Although I didn’t do much, just stood there watching, I felt so tired I had to call it a day. I was happy, I when home with few fish skins and bird fit that I asked the staff to put a side as they prepared the food during the day.
