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WE ARE HERE
'We Are Here' is a project by the artist duo Anne Fehres and Luke Conroy which celebrates community and cultural heritage through food, sharing and art. For three weeks the artists lived and worked in the rural Southern Italian town of Stigliano. During this period they invited the community to share their personal recipes and the stories associated with them. These various recipes and stories were captured and are now presented as public artworks around Stigliano.
Each of the artworks has been inspired by a documentary process whereby the local community talked about their personal recipes during the process of creating them. During this process, the artists captured photographs of the creator, the creation process, the food elements and surrounding objects. Later the artists digitally combined the multiple photographs associated with each recipe into a single photomontage composition, bringing together the diverse elements in a surreal and playful way. Each composition has been digitally printed and is presented in the public space of Stigliano at a ‘larger-than-life’ scale.
Each of the installed artworks is celebratory, bringing the recipe and creator from the private space of the home to the public space of the streets. Through this presentation, the local community and a broader audience is encouraged to reflect upon the recipes that hold important cultural value in this place, to find pride in local heritage and connect with each other in new ways.
Video documentation and images of the final works and the stories that go alongside them can be seen below:
Luciano
This is the first of five works presented in the public space of Stigliano, a rural town in Southern Italy. This work is inspired by Luciano and his recipe of Raviolo with stracciatella and tartufo.
Luciano invented this recipe two years ago and it includes all of his favorite ingredients from Stigliano, which he sources himself and from local producers. His secret is to use simple ingredients, a maximum of three per dish. He describes this particular recipe as: simple, tasty, refined.
Luciano makes this dish everyday in his restaurant at the heart of Stigliano. His restaurant is called ‘Trase, ca t’ammudd!’, a phrase in the local dialect which translates to ‘Come in, you’re welcome!’. Always knowing he wanted to be a chef, Luciano started from nothing and opened his restaurant when he was 21. Open now for nearly a decade, you can find Luciano smiling and cooking inside six days a week, supported by his wife Ilenia.
Ilenia and Luciano help feed the small town of Stigliano and early next year will help increase it’s population too, with the couple expecting a baby. In an area of Italy which is suffering from de-population, Ilenia and Luciano are a great example of locals creating opportunities and bringing life to the area.
Luciano invented this recipe two years ago and it includes all of his favorite ingredients from Stigliano, which he sources himself and from local producers. His secret is to use simple ingredients, a maximum of three per dish. He describes this particular recipe as: simple, tasty, refined.
Luciano makes this dish everyday in his restaurant at the heart of Stigliano. His restaurant is called ‘Trase, ca t’ammudd!’, a phrase in the local dialect which translates to ‘Come in, you’re welcome!’. Always knowing he wanted to be a chef, Luciano started from nothing and opened his restaurant when he was 21. Open now for nearly a decade, you can find Luciano smiling and cooking inside six days a week, supported by his wife Ilenia.
Ilenia and Luciano help feed the small town of Stigliano and early next year will help increase it’s population too, with the couple expecting a baby. In an area of Italy which is suffering from de-population, Ilenia and Luciano are a great example of locals creating opportunities and bringing life to the area.
Luciano
Local participant Luciano and his wife Ilenia.
Installation view of 'Luciano', in the streets of Stigliano, Italy.
Giulia and Filomina
This is the second of five works presented in the public space of Stigliano, a rural town in Southern Italy. This work is inspired by Giulia and Filomena, sisters in their eighties who live together in the old part of Stigliano. As part of this project, the sisters demonstrated how to make four different types of pasta - orecchiette, cavatelli (made with 1 finger), cavatelli (made with 3 fingers) and fusilli.
Their earliest memory of making this recipe was alongside their mother. As is the case with many recipes in Italy, when asked where the recipe comes from the sisters replied - “tradition”. Asked to describe the taste they reply - “it’s pasta!”.
During the creation process Filomena makes the pasta while Giulia is the boss, instructing and pointing out commands. While creating they speak about their father who wanted the fresh pasta to be made every Thursday and Sunday. The father had a strong opinion on a woman’s role in the family, the sister’s quote him as saying: “a woman that doesn’t know how to do the fine (like sewing, needlework) and the ordinary (like cooking, cleaning) is not a real woman.”
Nowadays they aren’t making it as often, as they explain, it’s hard work and their hands are old. As we observe the sisters at work, on a cold November morning, they bring the simple ingredients together expertly. Although simple, there seems to be a certain intimacy in the creation, brought together with the hands and often shaped with the fingers, leaving a unique imprint on each piece.
Their earliest memory of making this recipe was alongside their mother. As is the case with many recipes in Italy, when asked where the recipe comes from the sisters replied - “tradition”. Asked to describe the taste they reply - “it’s pasta!”.
During the creation process Filomena makes the pasta while Giulia is the boss, instructing and pointing out commands. While creating they speak about their father who wanted the fresh pasta to be made every Thursday and Sunday. The father had a strong opinion on a woman’s role in the family, the sister’s quote him as saying: “a woman that doesn’t know how to do the fine (like sewing, needlework) and the ordinary (like cooking, cleaning) is not a real woman.”
Nowadays they aren’t making it as often, as they explain, it’s hard work and their hands are old. As we observe the sisters at work, on a cold November morning, they bring the simple ingredients together expertly. Although simple, there seems to be a certain intimacy in the creation, brought together with the hands and often shaped with the fingers, leaving a unique imprint on each piece.
Giulia and Filomina
Local participants Giulia and Filomena.
Installation view of 'Giulia and Filomena', in the streets of Stigliano, Italy.
Anna and Claudio
This is the third of five works presented in the public space of Stigliano, a rural town in Southern Italy. This work is inspired by Anna and her son Claudio.
Anna is a master with scissors, first starting her career as a hairdresser, before marrying the son of a butcher family and moving on to cutting meat. In their family run butchery, Anna shares her recipe for the popular local dish Salsiccia (Sausage). The recipe is based around the shoulder and belly of pork. All the meat is cut by hand and then put in the mincing machine. Then added to the meat is paprika and chilli/pepper powder (acting as a preservative), wild fennel and salt - all sourced from local farmers.
When asked what the secret to the dish is, Anna replies: “passion and patience”. Anna expertly slices, minces and mixes all the ingredients together over the space of an hour. It’s physical work, yet over the years machines have made the process quicker and easier. As Anna explains, in earlier generations the whole process was prepared by hand and it could take up to three days to create the sausages.
Many people in the area have fond memories of such meat dishes. For Anna, it is around Ferragosto (Italian holiday on the 15th of August). As a child she fondly remembers having a big party in the forest, around a BBQ with the whole family and friends. On these occasions it was Anna’s mother who was responsible for creating the meat dishes.
After creating the sausages, Anna invites us to sample the raw ingredients as well as some pre-dried sausages. Later in the evening we visit Anna’s son Claudio at his steakhouse. Opened in the summer, Claudio cooks the meat which he and his family help prepare. Claudio explains that he works on all stages of the food preparation, tending to the livestock, working in the butchery and now over the BBQ in his restaurant.
Anna is a master with scissors, first starting her career as a hairdresser, before marrying the son of a butcher family and moving on to cutting meat. In their family run butchery, Anna shares her recipe for the popular local dish Salsiccia (Sausage). The recipe is based around the shoulder and belly of pork. All the meat is cut by hand and then put in the mincing machine. Then added to the meat is paprika and chilli/pepper powder (acting as a preservative), wild fennel and salt - all sourced from local farmers.
When asked what the secret to the dish is, Anna replies: “passion and patience”. Anna expertly slices, minces and mixes all the ingredients together over the space of an hour. It’s physical work, yet over the years machines have made the process quicker and easier. As Anna explains, in earlier generations the whole process was prepared by hand and it could take up to three days to create the sausages.
Many people in the area have fond memories of such meat dishes. For Anna, it is around Ferragosto (Italian holiday on the 15th of August). As a child she fondly remembers having a big party in the forest, around a BBQ with the whole family and friends. On these occasions it was Anna’s mother who was responsible for creating the meat dishes.
After creating the sausages, Anna invites us to sample the raw ingredients as well as some pre-dried sausages. Later in the evening we visit Anna’s son Claudio at his steakhouse. Opened in the summer, Claudio cooks the meat which he and his family help prepare. Claudio explains that he works on all stages of the food preparation, tending to the livestock, working in the butchery and now over the BBQ in his restaurant.
Anna and Claudio
Local participants Anna and her son Claudio.
Installation view of 'Anne and Claudio', in the streets of Stigliano, Italy.
Mario
This is the fourth of five works presented in the public space of Stigliano, a rural town in Southern Italy. This work is inspired by Mario and his family and is based around Fungo Ordinale (mushrooms).
On a cold, misty morning we travel to the hills surrounding Stigliano looking for wild mushrooms with Mario. In an old but reliable FIAT Panda (the vehicle of choice in this area), we travel down sealed roads, then dirt roads and finally off-road to search for the mushrooms. After a morning of driving and wandering the hills, we arrive back at Mario's house with a basket of mushrooms. It’s not as many as we hoped, but it’s enough to base a dish around.
Mario passes the mushrooms to his wife Catherina, who uses these as the basis for the lunchtime dish. She combines the mushrooms with beans, onions, paprika and pork. It’s a flavorsome dish, paired with fresh bread to soak all the juices up in.
Catherina works intuitively with all the dishes she prepares on this day, without a recipe book in sight. It wasn’t always like this however, as Catherina explains. she has been with Mario since she was 16 after leaving home at 17. At this point, she did not yet have a knowledge of cooking. She offered to cook for Mario and his friends, asking them what she could prepare. They replied with a list of separate dishes - pasta bolognese and anchovies. Catherina misunderstood and put all the separate dishes together, while also not cleaning the fish properly. Things are much different today.
While we eat the mushroom dish, surrounded by Mario, his family and friends, Mario shares some stories from his rich life. He once owned a bar, he operated a toystand at the market, he has been married three times, he has multiple children and has a business collecting mushrooms, asparagus and oregano - alongside much more.
Whatever life throws his way, Mario stays positive and embraces it. It’s an attitude captured by the tattooed writing across his forearm which reads “Barcollo ma non mollo”. This is the name of his now closed bar and also a philosophy of life, it translates to “I stumble but I don't give up”.
On a cold, misty morning we travel to the hills surrounding Stigliano looking for wild mushrooms with Mario. In an old but reliable FIAT Panda (the vehicle of choice in this area), we travel down sealed roads, then dirt roads and finally off-road to search for the mushrooms. After a morning of driving and wandering the hills, we arrive back at Mario's house with a basket of mushrooms. It’s not as many as we hoped, but it’s enough to base a dish around.
Mario passes the mushrooms to his wife Catherina, who uses these as the basis for the lunchtime dish. She combines the mushrooms with beans, onions, paprika and pork. It’s a flavorsome dish, paired with fresh bread to soak all the juices up in.
Catherina works intuitively with all the dishes she prepares on this day, without a recipe book in sight. It wasn’t always like this however, as Catherina explains. she has been with Mario since she was 16 after leaving home at 17. At this point, she did not yet have a knowledge of cooking. She offered to cook for Mario and his friends, asking them what she could prepare. They replied with a list of separate dishes - pasta bolognese and anchovies. Catherina misunderstood and put all the separate dishes together, while also not cleaning the fish properly. Things are much different today.
While we eat the mushroom dish, surrounded by Mario, his family and friends, Mario shares some stories from his rich life. He once owned a bar, he operated a toystand at the market, he has been married three times, he has multiple children and has a business collecting mushrooms, asparagus and oregano - alongside much more.
Whatever life throws his way, Mario stays positive and embraces it. It’s an attitude captured by the tattooed writing across his forearm which reads “Barcollo ma non mollo”. This is the name of his now closed bar and also a philosophy of life, it translates to “I stumble but I don't give up”.
Mario
Local participant Mario picking Fungo Ordinale (mushrooms).
On a cold, misty morning we travel to the hills surrounding Stigliano looking for wild mushrooms with Mario. In an old but reliable FIAT Panda (the vehicle of choice in this area), we travel down sealed roads, then dirt roads and finally off-road to search for the mushrooms. After a morning of driving and wandering the hills, we arrive back at Mario's house with a basket of mushrooms. It’s not as many as we hoped, but it’s enough to base a dish around.
Mario passes the mushrooms to his wife Catherina, who uses these as the basis for the lunchtime dish. She combines the mushrooms with beans, onions, paprika and pork. It’s a flavorsome dish, paired with fresh bread to soak all the juices up in.
Catherina works intuitively with all the dishes she prepares on this day, without a recipe book in sight. It wasn’t always like this however, as Catherina explains. She has been with Mario since she was 16 after leaving home at 17. At this point, she did not yet have this knowledge. She offered to cook for Mario and his friends, asking them what she could prepare. They replied with a list of separate dishes - pasta bolognese and anchovies. Catherina misunderstood and put all the separate dishes together, while also not cleaning the fish properly.
While we eat the mushroom dish, surrounded by Mario, his family and friends, Mario shares some stories from his rich life. He once owned a bar, he operated a toystand at the market, he has been married three times, he has multiple children and has a business picking mushrooms alongside asparagus and oregano - alongside much more.
Whatever life throws his way, Mario stays positive and embraces it. It’s an attitude captured by the tattooed writing across his forearm which reads “Barcollo ma non mollo”. This is the name of his now closed bar and also a philosophy of life, it translates to “I stumble but I don't give up”.
On a cold, misty morning we travel to the hills surrounding Stigliano looking for wild mushrooms with Mario. In an old but reliable FIAT Panda (the vehicle of choice in this area), we travel down sealed roads, then dirt roads and finally off-road to search for the mushrooms. After a morning of driving and wandering the hills, we arrive back at Mario's house with a basket of mushrooms. It’s not as many as we hoped, but it’s enough to base a dish around.
Mario passes the mushrooms to his wife Catherina, who uses these as the basis for the lunchtime dish. She combines the mushrooms with beans, onions, paprika and pork. It’s a flavorsome dish, paired with fresh bread to soak all the juices up in.
Catherina works intuitively with all the dishes she prepares on this day, without a recipe book in sight. It wasn’t always like this however, as Catherina explains. She has been with Mario since she was 16 after leaving home at 17. At this point, she did not yet have this knowledge. She offered to cook for Mario and his friends, asking them what she could prepare. They replied with a list of separate dishes - pasta bolognese and anchovies. Catherina misunderstood and put all the separate dishes together, while also not cleaning the fish properly.
While we eat the mushroom dish, surrounded by Mario, his family and friends, Mario shares some stories from his rich life. He once owned a bar, he operated a toystand at the market, he has been married three times, he has multiple children and has a business picking mushrooms alongside asparagus and oregano - alongside much more.
Whatever life throws his way, Mario stays positive and embraces it. It’s an attitude captured by the tattooed writing across his forearm which reads “Barcollo ma non mollo”. This is the name of his now closed bar and also a philosophy of life, it translates to “I stumble but I don't give up”.
Installation view of 'Mario', in the streets of Stigliano, Italy.
Maria
This is the fifth of five works presented in the public space of Stigliano, a rural town in Southern Italy. This work is inspired by Maria and her recipe of Ciambotta.
Ciambotta can be a combination of many vegetables, cooked together in a pot. On this occasion Maria adds a combination of onion, paprika, eggplant and tomatoes, served with an egg. Ciambotta was traditionally a food for the poor who could not afford to eat meat. These people would prepare the dish using leftover vegetables, ready for the next day of work on the land. Despite its reputation as ‘food for the poor’, Maria praises the recipe as being very rich in flavor and full of nutrients.
As Maria is a dreamer, listener and observer, as she prepares the food, she shares her philosophy around food and cooking. She says that one should listen to nature and have a good look at and feel everything that happens around you. For this reason, she does not enjoy meat, aware of the pain the animals must endure. It is also for this reason that she has a particular way of handling and preparing every ingredient used in her recipes.
As she prepares the Ciambotta, each ingredient is part of a ritual filled with love, attention and presence. Before beginning the kitchen must be clean. She then washes all the ingredients and carefully lays them out. As she cuts each vegetable, she thinks of the energy ‘meridian’ of the vegetable (its growth direction) and is sure to cut along this same line. These are all steps which Maria says affects the taste. In the final dish, she says that the “energy of the cook is present”.
Alongside the preparation of Ciambotta, Maria also speaks of the special space and objects in the home around her. She grew up in this house, full of old broken furniture. She recalls every moment a piece of furniture got a chip or broke. While she says that some parts of the house can come across as neglected or poor, for her the house is filled with memories. As Maria sees it, her house is rich.
Ciambotta can be a combination of many vegetables, cooked together in a pot. On this occasion Maria adds a combination of onion, paprika, eggplant and tomatoes, served with an egg. Ciambotta was traditionally a food for the poor who could not afford to eat meat. These people would prepare the dish using leftover vegetables, ready for the next day of work on the land. Despite its reputation as ‘food for the poor’, Maria praises the recipe as being very rich in flavor and full of nutrients.
As Maria is a dreamer, listener and observer, as she prepares the food, she shares her philosophy around food and cooking. She says that one should listen to nature and have a good look at and feel everything that happens around you. For this reason, she does not enjoy meat, aware of the pain the animals must endure. It is also for this reason that she has a particular way of handling and preparing every ingredient used in her recipes.
As she prepares the Ciambotta, each ingredient is part of a ritual filled with love, attention and presence. Before beginning the kitchen must be clean. She then washes all the ingredients and carefully lays them out. As she cuts each vegetable, she thinks of the energy ‘meridian’ of the vegetable (its growth direction) and is sure to cut along this same line. These are all steps which Maria says affects the taste. In the final dish, she says that the “energy of the cook is present”.
Alongside the preparation of Ciambotta, Maria also speaks of the special space and objects in the home around her. She grew up in this house, full of old broken furniture. She recalls every moment a piece of furniture got a chip or broke. While she says that some parts of the house can come across as neglected or poor, for her the house is filled with memories. As Maria sees it, her house is rich.
Maria
Local participant Maria creating her recipe of Ciambotta.
Installation view of 'Maria', in the streets of Stigliano, Italy.
Luciano
This is the first of five works presented in the public space of Stigliano, a rural town in Southern Italy. This work is inspired by Luciano and his recipe of Raviolo with stracciatella and tartufo.
Luciano invented this recipe two years ago and it includes all of his favorite ingredients from Stigliano, which he sources himself and from local producers. His secret is to use simple ingredients, a maximum of three per dish. He describes this particular recipe as: simple, tasty, refined.
Luciano makes this dish everyday in his restaurant at the heart of Stigliano. His restaurant is called ‘Trase, ca t’ammudd!’, a phrase in the local dialect which translates to ‘Come in, you’re welcome!’. Always knowing he wanted to be a chef, Luciano started from nothing and opened his restaurant when he was 21. Open now for nearly a decade, you can find Luciano smiling and cooking inside six days a week, supported by his wife Ilenia.
Ilenia and Luciano help feed the small town of Stigliano and early next year will help increase it’s population too, with the couple expecting a baby. In an area of Italy which is suffering from de-population, Ilenia and Luciano are a great example of locals creating opportunities and bringing life to the area.
Luciano invented this recipe two years ago and it includes all of his favorite ingredients from Stigliano, which he sources himself and from local producers. His secret is to use simple ingredients, a maximum of three per dish. He describes this particular recipe as: simple, tasty, refined.
Luciano makes this dish everyday in his restaurant at the heart of Stigliano. His restaurant is called ‘Trase, ca t’ammudd!’, a phrase in the local dialect which translates to ‘Come in, you’re welcome!’. Always knowing he wanted to be a chef, Luciano started from nothing and opened his restaurant when he was 21. Open now for nearly a decade, you can find Luciano smiling and cooking inside six days a week, supported by his wife Ilenia.
Ilenia and Luciano help feed the small town of Stigliano and early next year will help increase it’s population too, with the couple expecting a baby. In an area of Italy which is suffering from de-population, Ilenia and Luciano are a great example of locals creating opportunities and bringing life to the area.
Luciano
Local participant Luciano and his wife Ilenia.
Installation view of 'Luciano', in the streets of Stigliano, Italy.
Giulia and Filomina
This is the second of five works presented in the public space of Stigliano, a rural town in Southern Italy. This work is inspired by Giulia and Filomena, sisters in their eighties who live together in the old part of Stigliano. As part of this project, the sisters demonstrated how to make four different types of pasta - orecchiette, cavatelli (made with 1 finger), cavatelli (made with 3 fingers) and fusilli.
Their earliest memory of making this recipe was alongside their mother. As is the case with many recipes in Italy, when asked where the recipe comes from the sisters replied - “tradition”. Asked to describe the taste they reply - “it’s pasta!”.
During the creation process Filomena makes the pasta while Giulia is the boss, instructing and pointing out commands. While creating they speak about their father who wanted the fresh pasta to be made every Thursday and Sunday. The father had a strong opinion on a woman’s role in the family, the sister’s quote him as saying: “a woman that doesn’t know how to do the fine (like sewing, needlework) and the ordinary (like cooking, cleaning) is not a real woman.”
Nowadays they aren’t making it as often, as they explain, it’s hard work and their hands are old. As we observe the sisters at work, on a cold November morning, they bring the simple ingredients together expertly. Although simple, there seems to be a certain intimacy in the creation, brought together with the hands and often shaped with the fingers, leaving a unique imprint on each piece.
Their earliest memory of making this recipe was alongside their mother. As is the case with many recipes in Italy, when asked where the recipe comes from the sisters replied - “tradition”. Asked to describe the taste they reply - “it’s pasta!”.
During the creation process Filomena makes the pasta while Giulia is the boss, instructing and pointing out commands. While creating they speak about their father who wanted the fresh pasta to be made every Thursday and Sunday. The father had a strong opinion on a woman’s role in the family, the sister’s quote him as saying: “a woman that doesn’t know how to do the fine (like sewing, needlework) and the ordinary (like cooking, cleaning) is not a real woman.”
Nowadays they aren’t making it as often, as they explain, it’s hard work and their hands are old. As we observe the sisters at work, on a cold November morning, they bring the simple ingredients together expertly. Although simple, there seems to be a certain intimacy in the creation, brought together with the hands and often shaped with the fingers, leaving a unique imprint on each piece.
Giulia and Filomina
Local participants Giulia and Filomena.
Installation view of 'Giulia and Filomena', in the streets of Stigliano, Italy.
Anna and Claudio
This is the third of five works presented in the public space of Stigliano, a rural town in Southern Italy. This work is inspired by Anna and her son Claudio.
Anna is a master with scissors, first starting her career as a hairdresser, before marrying the son of a butcher family and moving on to cutting meat. In their family run butchery, Anna shares her recipe for the popular local dish Salsiccia (Sausage). The recipe is based around the shoulder and belly of pork. All the meat is cut by hand and then put in the mincing machine. Then added to the meat is paprika and chilli/pepper powder (acting as a preservative), wild fennel and salt - all sourced from local farmers.
When asked what the secret to the dish is, Anna replies: “passion and patience”. Anna expertly slices, minces and mixes all the ingredients together over the space of an hour. It’s physical work, yet over the years machines have made the process quicker and easier. As Anna explains, in earlier generations the whole process was prepared by hand and it could take up to three days to create the sausages.
Many people in the area have fond memories of such meat dishes. For Anna, it is around Ferragosto (Italian holiday on the 15th of August). As a child she fondly remembers having a big party in the forest, around a BBQ with the whole family and friends. On these occasions it was Anna’s mother who was responsible for creating the meat dishes.
After creating the sausages, Anna invites us to sample the raw ingredients as well as some pre-dried sausages. Later in the evening we visit Anna’s son Claudio at his steakhouse. Opened in the summer, Claudio cooks the meat which he and his family help prepare. Claudio explains that he works on all stages of the food preparation, tending to the livestock, working in the butchery and now over the BBQ in his restaurant.
Anna is a master with scissors, first starting her career as a hairdresser, before marrying the son of a butcher family and moving on to cutting meat. In their family run butchery, Anna shares her recipe for the popular local dish Salsiccia (Sausage). The recipe is based around the shoulder and belly of pork. All the meat is cut by hand and then put in the mincing machine. Then added to the meat is paprika and chilli/pepper powder (acting as a preservative), wild fennel and salt - all sourced from local farmers.
When asked what the secret to the dish is, Anna replies: “passion and patience”. Anna expertly slices, minces and mixes all the ingredients together over the space of an hour. It’s physical work, yet over the years machines have made the process quicker and easier. As Anna explains, in earlier generations the whole process was prepared by hand and it could take up to three days to create the sausages.
Many people in the area have fond memories of such meat dishes. For Anna, it is around Ferragosto (Italian holiday on the 15th of August). As a child she fondly remembers having a big party in the forest, around a BBQ with the whole family and friends. On these occasions it was Anna’s mother who was responsible for creating the meat dishes.
After creating the sausages, Anna invites us to sample the raw ingredients as well as some pre-dried sausages. Later in the evening we visit Anna’s son Claudio at his steakhouse. Opened in the summer, Claudio cooks the meat which he and his family help prepare. Claudio explains that he works on all stages of the food preparation, tending to the livestock, working in the butchery and now over the BBQ in his restaurant.
Anna and Claudio
Local participants Anna and her son Claudio.
Installation view of 'Anne and Claudio', in the streets of Stigliano, Italy.
Mario
This is the fourth of five works presented in the public space of Stigliano, a rural town in Southern Italy. This work is inspired by Mario and his family and is based around Fungo Ordinale (mushrooms).
On a cold, misty morning we travel to the hills surrounding Stigliano looking for wild mushrooms with Mario. In an old but reliable FIAT Panda (the vehicle of choice in this area), we travel down sealed roads, then dirt roads and finally off-road to search for the mushrooms. After a morning of driving and wandering the hills, we arrive back at Mario's house with a basket of mushrooms. It’s not as many as we hoped, but it’s enough to base a dish around.
Mario passes the mushrooms to his wife Catherina, who uses these as the basis for the lunchtime dish. She combines the mushrooms with beans, onions, paprika and pork. It’s a flavorsome dish, paired with fresh bread to soak all the juices up in.
Catherina works intuitively with all the dishes she prepares on this day, without a recipe book in sight. It wasn’t always like this however, as Catherina explains. she has been with Mario since she was 16 after leaving home at 17. At this point, she did not yet have a knowledge of cooking. She offered to cook for Mario and his friends, asking them what she could prepare. They replied with a list of separate dishes - pasta bolognese and anchovies. Catherina misunderstood and put all the separate dishes together, while also not cleaning the fish properly. Things are much different today.
While we eat the mushroom dish, surrounded by Mario, his family and friends, Mario shares some stories from his rich life. He once owned a bar, he operated a toystand at the market, he has been married three times, he has multiple children and has a business collecting mushrooms, asparagus and oregano - alongside much more.
Whatever life throws his way, Mario stays positive and embraces it. It’s an attitude captured by the tattooed writing across his forearm which reads “Barcollo ma non mollo”. This is the name of his now closed bar and also a philosophy of life, it translates to “I stumble but I don't give up”.
On a cold, misty morning we travel to the hills surrounding Stigliano looking for wild mushrooms with Mario. In an old but reliable FIAT Panda (the vehicle of choice in this area), we travel down sealed roads, then dirt roads and finally off-road to search for the mushrooms. After a morning of driving and wandering the hills, we arrive back at Mario's house with a basket of mushrooms. It’s not as many as we hoped, but it’s enough to base a dish around.
Mario passes the mushrooms to his wife Catherina, who uses these as the basis for the lunchtime dish. She combines the mushrooms with beans, onions, paprika and pork. It’s a flavorsome dish, paired with fresh bread to soak all the juices up in.
Catherina works intuitively with all the dishes she prepares on this day, without a recipe book in sight. It wasn’t always like this however, as Catherina explains. she has been with Mario since she was 16 after leaving home at 17. At this point, she did not yet have a knowledge of cooking. She offered to cook for Mario and his friends, asking them what she could prepare. They replied with a list of separate dishes - pasta bolognese and anchovies. Catherina misunderstood and put all the separate dishes together, while also not cleaning the fish properly. Things are much different today.
While we eat the mushroom dish, surrounded by Mario, his family and friends, Mario shares some stories from his rich life. He once owned a bar, he operated a toystand at the market, he has been married three times, he has multiple children and has a business collecting mushrooms, asparagus and oregano - alongside much more.
Whatever life throws his way, Mario stays positive and embraces it. It’s an attitude captured by the tattooed writing across his forearm which reads “Barcollo ma non mollo”. This is the name of his now closed bar and also a philosophy of life, it translates to “I stumble but I don't give up”.
Mario
Local participant Mario picking Fungo Ordinale (mushrooms).
On a cold, misty morning we travel to the hills surrounding Stigliano looking for wild mushrooms with Mario. In an old but reliable FIAT Panda (the vehicle of choice in this area), we travel down sealed roads, then dirt roads and finally off-road to search for the mushrooms. After a morning of driving and wandering the hills, we arrive back at Mario's house with a basket of mushrooms. It’s not as many as we hoped, but it’s enough to base a dish around.
Mario passes the mushrooms to his wife Catherina, who uses these as the basis for the lunchtime dish. She combines the mushrooms with beans, onions, paprika and pork. It’s a flavorsome dish, paired with fresh bread to soak all the juices up in.
Catherina works intuitively with all the dishes she prepares on this day, without a recipe book in sight. It wasn’t always like this however, as Catherina explains. She has been with Mario since she was 16 after leaving home at 17. At this point, she did not yet have this knowledge. She offered to cook for Mario and his friends, asking them what she could prepare. They replied with a list of separate dishes - pasta bolognese and anchovies. Catherina misunderstood and put all the separate dishes together, while also not cleaning the fish properly.
While we eat the mushroom dish, surrounded by Mario, his family and friends, Mario shares some stories from his rich life. He once owned a bar, he operated a toystand at the market, he has been married three times, he has multiple children and has a business picking mushrooms alongside asparagus and oregano - alongside much more.
Whatever life throws his way, Mario stays positive and embraces it. It’s an attitude captured by the tattooed writing across his forearm which reads “Barcollo ma non mollo”. This is the name of his now closed bar and also a philosophy of life, it translates to “I stumble but I don't give up”.
On a cold, misty morning we travel to the hills surrounding Stigliano looking for wild mushrooms with Mario. In an old but reliable FIAT Panda (the vehicle of choice in this area), we travel down sealed roads, then dirt roads and finally off-road to search for the mushrooms. After a morning of driving and wandering the hills, we arrive back at Mario's house with a basket of mushrooms. It’s not as many as we hoped, but it’s enough to base a dish around.
Mario passes the mushrooms to his wife Catherina, who uses these as the basis for the lunchtime dish. She combines the mushrooms with beans, onions, paprika and pork. It’s a flavorsome dish, paired with fresh bread to soak all the juices up in.
Catherina works intuitively with all the dishes she prepares on this day, without a recipe book in sight. It wasn’t always like this however, as Catherina explains. She has been with Mario since she was 16 after leaving home at 17. At this point, she did not yet have this knowledge. She offered to cook for Mario and his friends, asking them what she could prepare. They replied with a list of separate dishes - pasta bolognese and anchovies. Catherina misunderstood and put all the separate dishes together, while also not cleaning the fish properly.
While we eat the mushroom dish, surrounded by Mario, his family and friends, Mario shares some stories from his rich life. He once owned a bar, he operated a toystand at the market, he has been married three times, he has multiple children and has a business picking mushrooms alongside asparagus and oregano - alongside much more.
Whatever life throws his way, Mario stays positive and embraces it. It’s an attitude captured by the tattooed writing across his forearm which reads “Barcollo ma non mollo”. This is the name of his now closed bar and also a philosophy of life, it translates to “I stumble but I don't give up”.
Installation view of 'Mario', in the streets of Stigliano, Italy.
Maria
This is the fifth of five works presented in the public space of Stigliano, a rural town in Southern Italy. This work is inspired by Maria and her recipe of Ciambotta.
Ciambotta can be a combination of many vegetables, cooked together in a pot. On this occasion Maria adds a combination of onion, paprika, eggplant and tomatoes, served with an egg. Ciambotta was traditionally a food for the poor who could not afford to eat meat. These people would prepare the dish using leftover vegetables, ready for the next day of work on the land. Despite its reputation as ‘food for the poor’, Maria praises the recipe as being very rich in flavor and full of nutrients.
As Maria is a dreamer, listener and observer, as she prepares the food, she shares her philosophy around food and cooking. She says that one should listen to nature and have a good look at and feel everything that happens around you. For this reason, she does not enjoy meat, aware of the pain the animals must endure. It is also for this reason that she has a particular way of handling and preparing every ingredient used in her recipes.
As she prepares the Ciambotta, each ingredient is part of a ritual filled with love, attention and presence. Before beginning the kitchen must be clean. She then washes all the ingredients and carefully lays them out. As she cuts each vegetable, she thinks of the energy ‘meridian’ of the vegetable (its growth direction) and is sure to cut along this same line. These are all steps which Maria says affects the taste. In the final dish, she says that the “energy of the cook is present”.
Alongside the preparation of Ciambotta, Maria also speaks of the special space and objects in the home around her. She grew up in this house, full of old broken furniture. She recalls every moment a piece of furniture got a chip or broke. While she says that some parts of the house can come across as neglected or poor, for her the house is filled with memories. As Maria sees it, her house is rich.
Ciambotta can be a combination of many vegetables, cooked together in a pot. On this occasion Maria adds a combination of onion, paprika, eggplant and tomatoes, served with an egg. Ciambotta was traditionally a food for the poor who could not afford to eat meat. These people would prepare the dish using leftover vegetables, ready for the next day of work on the land. Despite its reputation as ‘food for the poor’, Maria praises the recipe as being very rich in flavor and full of nutrients.
As Maria is a dreamer, listener and observer, as she prepares the food, she shares her philosophy around food and cooking. She says that one should listen to nature and have a good look at and feel everything that happens around you. For this reason, she does not enjoy meat, aware of the pain the animals must endure. It is also for this reason that she has a particular way of handling and preparing every ingredient used in her recipes.
As she prepares the Ciambotta, each ingredient is part of a ritual filled with love, attention and presence. Before beginning the kitchen must be clean. She then washes all the ingredients and carefully lays them out. As she cuts each vegetable, she thinks of the energy ‘meridian’ of the vegetable (its growth direction) and is sure to cut along this same line. These are all steps which Maria says affects the taste. In the final dish, she says that the “energy of the cook is present”.
Alongside the preparation of Ciambotta, Maria also speaks of the special space and objects in the home around her. She grew up in this house, full of old broken furniture. She recalls every moment a piece of furniture got a chip or broke. While she says that some parts of the house can come across as neglected or poor, for her the house is filled with memories. As Maria sees it, her house is rich.
Maria
Local participant Maria creating her recipe of Ciambotta.
Installation view of 'Maria', in the streets of Stigliano, Italy.
This project was created as part of the Euro-Mediterranean co-creation residency program in co-coperation with:
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