The two-part work, consisting of an installation and a culinary intervention, is the result of a one-month residency at La Maison des Chapitres in October 2021. The work was presented at the Marché paysan de Forcalquier as part of the culture and arts festival Un autre rapport a la Terre.
Des Belles Tartines are slices of bread topped with fermented and preserved local foods. The sourdough bread based on einkorn wheat and whole chestnuts in the shape of a wheel is the basis of the tasting. Einkorn is a cereal that has been cultivated since ancient times and is part of the agricultural heritage of Haute-Provence. Its peculiarity is that it has never been genetically modified. The vegetables and fruits were preserved by lacto-fermentation during the residency and presented in jars and other glass vessels.
Après la recolte is the title of the installation that forms the framework for the performance.
A construction made of bamboo poles tied together serves as a framework for the large-format cyanotypes that line the walls of the market stall. The photographic prints on fabric show the shadows cast by harvested crops, such as tomatoes, aubergines, cabbage and artichokes, in the center of the images, as well as leaves and ears of corn as decorative elements at the edges. The plant itself is usually worthless without its harvested fruit and decays quickly after harvest. The work is an attempt to honor and preserve the memory of the plant, including the root, which put all its energy into its fruit for our nourishment.
Cyanotype on Coton, each 165x295cm
Simon Knab 