RESILIENCE SHAKE!

Curators

First Food Residency

Join us for an afternoon of workshops from First Food Residency educational outreach program in conjunction with the UK/Mex exhibition Cactus and Creatures. This collection of workshops shall be delivered by FFR Community Outreach Manager, Greer Pester.

‘The resilience series’ will be looking at some special native Mexican foods tied into the themes exhibited through the exhibition at The Koppel Project Hive and Baker Street during the month of October. We will be looking at the Nopal Cactus – a national symbol, hardy plant and nutritious vegetable staple, we will also be experimenting with the natural red, food and product colouring: ‘Cochineal’ made from a very special bug that feeds off the Nopal Cactus, plus there will be the opportunity to try the Mexican style salted snack and potential future food – edible crickets!

Workshop 1: (12:30-2pm) NOPAL PLAY – ‘The sacred tree of hearts’

The Cactus has exploded as a visual fad around the world, you regularly see its distinctive forms printed on clothing and product and carefully placed in all the trendy spots. But when looking deeper into this unique plant you realise there are so much more reasons why we should be honouring and encouraging its use and praise in modern society.

At a time when the world is full of fierce and frightening contrasts, heating up and drying out, we look to an iconic plant like the Nopal cactus for inspiration for our own human resilience and survival. As a powerful symbol of resilience + Mexico’s honoured nutritious staple vegetable. In Nahuatl, it means ‘The tree of hearts’, it even features proudly on the national Mexican flag and is being developed as a form of fuel.

Learn more about the history, folklore and magical nutritional and health properties of this popular plant whilst constructing your own playful sculpture inspired by its shapes and forms printed and painted with your own honest commentary on social resilience. Speak and sprawl with the heart, build and play with the hands.

Workshop 2: (2:30-4pm) RESILIENT RED – Cochineal – ‘The colour of cactus blood’

‘Cochineal’ is the enchanting insect that feeds on the Nopal cactus and transforms its juice into a vivid red tint, which today exists in many of our daily products, including food and clothing. We will play and experiment with this tint and the natural elements that affect its colourful hues, making edible artworks with tortillas and this special pigment.

Watch the magical colour change with the mixing of other edible and natural elements. Participants can then fill their wrap and eat their artworks if they should desire!

This workshop aims to raise awareness of Cochineal as a natural colouring that is very much present in the food, clothing and products we unknowingly consume. It also looks to highlight the ancient mythical Mexican origins and rich folklore culture that moves round the history of this vibrant red colouring. We will paint and learn more about some other mythical creatures associated with themes of ‘resilience’ such as fierce Aztec gods and the fascinating ever-young self-healing ‘Axolotl’ salamander unique to the freshwater canals of Mexico City.

There will be the opportunity to make donations and buy some special First Food Residency products whose percentage of sales will be going towards supporting charities and organisations aiding the aftermath of the series of earthquakes that dramatically affected Mexico during the month of September.