And I bust them all the time...

After the carousel, the slides and swings, tree-house conspiracies, a picnic, ice cream and Pixi Stix, a full day and full bellies, Emma performed this paean to la dolce vita...http://billfisher.dreamhost.com/bustmybuttons.htm

Penn says...

"I just finished reading this book..."

Dia De Los Muertos Individuales

Wonderful project by Maya Escobar ( who participated in Cyberfeast I )

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWnIppzPhak

Dear Chocolate, Thank You - An interactive food experience

Just recently I was invited by the Sophia Institute in Charelston, SC to participate in an exhibition of women artists. I was excited by the opportunity because I really wanted to do an interactive exhibition piece that explores our emotional connection to food. Dear Chocolate, Thank you is a collaborative work that documents and discusses our individual and collective connection to this sweet treat.

Exhibition goers were invited to take a chocolate bar throughout the run of the exhibition. In exchange takers were asked to write thank you letters to chocolate. The letters were written on labels I designed, and then left behind. There are some incredible responses!

Jonell Pulliam

Welcome Hui Ling Lee

Welcome to our newest participant, the artist Hui Ling Lee. Visit her website,

http://www.huilinglee.com/home.html

and blog:

http://huilinglee.blogspot.com/

Såbor y Memoriå

"The deepest, most distant memories can be triggered by an aroma, an instant reminder of home. From appetizer through dessert, Sabor y Memoria combines and contrasts Latin musical genres old and new in much the same way that flavors are blended in the cuisine of a new land. "

http://www.solycanto.com/sabor.html

I heard them interviewed on NPR the other day. They play great music!

It spoke to what Io and I were exploring in the visual arts with Serve & Project last year in Pittsburgh, inviting teenagers to interview older people in the community about the intersection of food/culture/memories. It is something we are looking to continue with this blog.

Is there someone, an older person, you would like to interview about their memories of food/recipe stories/family dynamics/culture?

domesticated

Richard Wrangham’s book "Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human," and (Wired mag's) Kevin Kelly's ideas discuss how we, as humans, “physically changed ourselves through agriculture, through cooking…we’re both masters of technology and also the children of technology.” The first domesticated animal, us, was self-domesticated through breakthroughs in the technology of cooking, controlling fire, the curing process and so on. Changes to our bodies, our teeth, our social structures, mating habits, everything that set the stage for me sitting in front of this laptop with an organic Poptart knock-off in a small town in central Georgia, drinking an African bean coffee and adjusting my Philippines' sweatshop Levis (coffee, PopSmarts and jeans bought from an international retail chain store) and considering the meaning, purpose and implications of unmanned drone bomb drops, Tom Tancredo, Cristine O'Donnell, Sharon Angle, F. Goya, Raymond Pettibon and http://classes.bnf.fr/dossiecr//atelier/grand/sq03-12.htm

The Last Piece of Cake in the Office Kitchen

It looked so lonely, in the little kitchen area of the office. Those last pieces of cake always linger. People come in and out, alone, behind closed doors with the last slice, do they dare eat it? Will they leave the empty pan?

Does anyone else document food in their workplace? If so, I would love to see some photos! Thank you to Peter Tattlebaum in the neighboring cubicle for photographing the cake!

Lisa, October, 2010

The biggest benefit of working on a project like Serve & Project is meeting interesting people from all over the world. Last week Lisa and I Skyped with Erik Benjamin, the Cyber Feaster who interpreted the dessert delight Hamantaschen. Lisa and I were impressed not only with what Erik brought to the Cyber Feast project but his compelling and thoughtful creative work. Visit Erik's website here.

Food for Thought and Brilliant !

So interested in this piece by artist Raul Ortega Ayala, Living Remains.
Check out these brilliant works shown at the Stroom Den Haag ; the Hague.

The (Second Best) Hamantaschen in the World

I have successfully completed phase 2 of my online search for the best, and second best hamantaschen in the world. Here are some pictures of how they turned out. Napkin evaluation to come!

Life as a Dinner

Last evening, Lisa and I "dined" with our second guest, Cal, from San Francisco, CA. While we all met, I began thinking about the parallels that exist between life and dining. Each person at the table references family and friends met throughout our lives. And the experiences learned can act as fuel to cultivate positive human exchange.

Thank you Cyber Feasters !

Our first Skype meeting !

Last sunday, at 7 est, Lisa and I conducted our first Skype meeting for Cyber Feast II with participant Jonell Pulliam. We talked, laughed and began a dialogue with a new friend.
Thank you.

The Best Hamantaschen in the World

Hello All,

I wanted to share with you the first part of my submission for CyberFeast II. I consider this the first part of a two part project, which uses a rationale grounded in absurdity to explore the internet's present day role as cooking aide/recipe database.

Using the Hamantaschen as a starting point, I queried google to find "the best hamantaschen in the world". The posted napkin image documents my amateurish, dry and formulaic rationale utilized to validate the best and second best recipes.

Part II will conclude in my attempts at cooking, tasting, and rating the second best hamantaschen in the world.

Thanks all - so happy to be a part of this.
Erik

Cal's Video

"I was inspired by the cooking show style of the piece from Cyberfeast 1, and utilized found videos of Cong You Bing coupled with my own culinary creations and instructions to create my own "how-to" guide to making Chinese style pancakes. The piece uses both the sterility of the instructions coupled with playful food "animation" to create a comical and thorough review of this food item."

--Calcagno Cullen

Hamentaschen!

I had a lovely time creating/sculpting/baking Hamentaschen. I don't usually cook or bake - particularly not in the summer - so although it was only a small dessert, this was quite an experiment for me. The shopping alone felt like a ritual! Then late saturday night - technically sunday - I started gathering and mixing and rolling and cooking. (Not entirely unlike a late night studio session!)

As I mixed and stirred, I honestly wasn't sure it would work out. I didn't know when the dough was ready, versus just ingredients. It was almost like that moment where you wonder - is it art? I scorned sifting, whisking, and power mixing! This was the labor of my hands alone! (Well, ok, I don't have any of that equipment...) And soon enough my fiance fell asleep so I was on photo and baking duty.

The first batch came out tasty, but a bit bulky. I rolled thinner dough and used more jam (usually this would be poppy seed filling but I wanted to improvise with the jams I rarely use). It was fun to shape the triangles, like little hats. Once baked, I feasted first, then in true asynchonous/digital fashion, arranged future feasts for 1. my fiance 2. our friend who ran a marathon and was STARVING afterward 3. a friend in New Jersey.

Text/in person/phone responses: "Tasty treats!" "Can't wait to eat these" and "I wish there were more!"

Teaching Learning- Food and Collaboration

Suzanne Lacy, "Crystal Quilt photographs," 1987, 1 of a series of 36 photographs, 16 x 20" each.


Jonell Pulliam's last post- describing chance and inclusive creativity, made me think about the happenings of 1960’s and Suzanne Lacy. As luck would have it, I found this post on U Tube which documents parts of a conversation between Suzanne Lacy and her mentor Judy Chicago. Both women are known for merging creative acts with social relevance.

Four Simple Ingredients: A Happening for Cyberfeast II continues this synergy. The gathering together of inter generational people, involving food and encouraging an open creative space are entwined in Serve & Project’s mission.
-Io Palmer

Four Simple Ingredients: A Happening for CyberFeast II

I was really excited to participate in CyberFeast II. Four Simple Ingredients: A Happening was inspired by Appetizer - The Wine Tasting that Became my Banquet; an event from CyberFeast I. As an avid bread maker and visual artist, I was particularly interested in the idea of Amish Friendship bread – a key element in that event. I liked the idea of simple elements coming together to create a delicious outcome. I also appreciated the notion of chance that was an element of that event. Chance is a part of my art making process.

Four Simple Ingredients was based on process of making friendship bread: simple materials, basic instruction, sharing creative energy, and collaboration. Our charge for the evening was to create a work of art that was somehow inspired by the food, conversations, and diverse artistic perspectives assembled at the Happening. Participants were invited to set up shop anywhere in the house, work individually or collaboratively, and use any materials available.

Ten people - artists, young designers, educators, and parents - attended the Four Simple Ingredients. The event began with a pot-luck dinner, that was collaboratively prepared or served. The menu included:

Appetizers:

Fruit Salad with homemade yogurt dip

Assorted Cheeses, Dips, breads

Entrée:

Green Salad

Pasta with Italian Sausage and Garlic

Red Rice

Lime Roasted Chicken

Variety of Wines

Dessert:

Dump Cake

After dinner, the group organically divided up into the various spaces of the house and began creating art. The resulting work included ink and paper assemblage by artist Lynne Riding; a Bomb Pop painting by Andre Barbosa; a found-fabric skirt by Anika and Egyptt; an ink and graphite drawing by artist Kimberly McHenry-Williams; photo embroidery by Donna Hurt; a food painting by creative Germaine Jenkins; and an embroidered paper collaborative project by Amy Reed. I am currently working on the next phase of the project - napkins - inspired by the experience of the evening.

        

   

        

Everyones Favorite Table Setting

Judy Chicago's Dinner Party was produced between 1974 and 1979 is an elaborate project that pays homage to actual and mythical women in history. At the table are 39 table settings that include a range of crafts, plates, runners, and eating utensils. In Judy's words, this project started as a simple homage to "twenty-five women who were eaten alive".

Happy preparing !

(quote source Wikipedia)

Rirkrit Tiravanija- an artist known for his food

Rirkrit Tiravanija, a contemporary artist born in Buenos Aires, Argentina , is known for the lavish meals he prepares in gallery spaces and served to viewers. Through cooking and serving, Tiravanija's work explores the role of artists in society. The artwork then becomes the making, production and serving of food. While the end result may be a photograph or a memory.
Relational artists such as Rirkrit explore a range of social relationships by producing art that questions and blurs boundaries that exist within art production.

Visit: http://newarttv.com/Rirkrit+Tiravanija

Cyberfeast II Confirmed Participants

Michel Auder. "Dinner is Served"
27 February – 14 March 2010

_________________________________

We are excited to of gathered together the following cyber feasters.

Below includes each participant thus far with websites. Check out all the creative work being done by each participant. We welcome you to post any work in progress or articles of interest and we look forward to Skyping with you all in the coming months.
Sincerely,
Io (Pullman, WA) and Lisa (Boston, MA)
Serve & Project,

CyberFeast II: Participants (as of July 12)

Erik Benjamins

http://erikbenjamins.com/Main/index.html.html

Calcagno Cullen

www.telephoneheart.com

Cyberfeast I reference: Con You Bing

Bill Fisher

http://billfisher.dreamhost.com/nohate.html

Liora Kushner

(professional caterer)

Cyberfeast I reference: Hamantashen

Jonell Pulliam

www.jjpulliam.com

Cyberfeast I reference: The Wine Tasting that

Became my Banquet, Amish Friendship Bread

Courtney Lee Weida

http://sites.google.com/site/courtneyleeweidaresearch/

Cyberfeast I reference: Hamantashen

Call for Participation

Cyberfeast  II– Call for participation (FREE)
serveandproject@gmail.com
 
Call for artist participants in a multi-disciplinary art project that  engages community in dialogue about the making, production and consumption of food, through workshops, gallery exhibitions, and new for 2010,  a series of "cyber feasts".
 
For Cyberfeast II artists Io Palmer and Lisa Link invite people to participate through our Blog and Skype .  Artwork on the blog will be presented as part of the project  " Here, There and Everywhere: The Art of Collaboration –"  during the TransCultural Exchange’s 2011 Conference on International Opportunities in the Arts in Boston, 2011.
 
If you are interested in participating,write to us at: serveandproject@gmail.com
We will send you a specific set of pre-banquet art activities developed out of the "menu" developed in Cyberbanquet #1, February 2010.
 
Formats for the creative pre-cyberbanquet activity may include sculpture, painting, drawing, performance, and documentation of ingredients/food vendor sources all based on the "menu" theme that will be discussed with participants prior to the Cyberfeasts.
 
CyberFeasts  will take place during the summer of 2010, TBA depending on time zones of participants.  Requirements include access to Skype, an interest in collaborative art, connecting with other artists, food, and internet art "happenings".

serveandproject@gmail.com


 

Cyber Banquet Festivities from Pullman, Washington

Our Cyber Banquet, in the small town of Pullman, Washington became a festive space for entertainment, dialogue, history, and humor.

My thanks to dinner guests, artists
Reza Safavi and Kevin Haas.

Joyce's Cyberfeast in North Dakota

Serve & Project Cyberfeast #1
Williston, North Dakota, Chinese New Year Celebration, at the Nadolny-Shui Home
guest starring "The Purple School" rewards system

Introduction of Evening
Joyce's welcome





Appetizer
Cong You Bing



Dinner

Steamed lemon chicken on a bed of spinach | Recipe >>
Cucumber salad which Joyce forgot to serve | Photo >>
Homemade spinach dumplings with handmade dough





Homemade pork dumplings ( partial video on how to make them)

Asparagus, shrimp and pork stir-fry (we forgot to photo this sorry!)
Peanut noodles | Recipe >>
Dou-ban-yu (to represent the concept of "nian nian you yu", i.e. abundance year after year)
(again, we forgot to take a photo, but click here for a beautiful photo of someone else's "failure" - it seems way too beautiful to have been a failure)

Happy New Year!

So many of the kids remembered how to say "xin-nian-kuai-le" that we needed a tie breaker. There were 10 kids at the get-together. All were girls except for Connor. Connor got the prize for being the only boy at the event (and surviving!).

Dessert

Oranges (Chinese desserts are often "just" fruit)
Sticky cake "nian gao" recipe >>

The Small But Mighty Meal

Napkin Depicting Dinner Objects by Io Palmer

Napkin Book by Kevin Haas


Dinner Napkin by Reza Safavi


So many people were out of town the night of our first Cyber Feast.
Two dear friends and colleagues came over to my apartment to celebrate and support Serve and Project.
The three of us, we traveled first to Chicago for Patrick's soup feast.
Then we went to Boston where Lisa was hosting a dinner ala Hamentashen cookies.
After we surfed to Minneapolis where Priscilla was hosting a grand and colorful potluck !

Back at my place, my friends and I feasted on:
Lamb Burgers with Melted Blue Cheese
Roasted Potatoes
Tomato Salad
and
Stir-fried Greens

An understated and wonderful feast.