Artists + Institutions Summer Salon Series with Notch, MAK Center for Art and Architecture, los angeles. 2012
For Artists + Institutions, I directed Notch in a series of culinary investigations into the social history of ad hoc communities in Los Angeles’ Laurel Canyon.
My subjects were the 1890s proliferation of “hermits” living off the land on the margins of Hollywood, the 1959 Laurel Canyon fire that brought fire fighters together for the first planned mutual aid assault on a brushfire, and the 1960s Psychedelic rock scene that hung around the Canyon Country Store seeking comfort after long nights of mayhem.
The conceit was that by experiencing the tenuous identification of a “community” influenced by a geographic site through a shared dining experience, that they would more readily shed their guarded language and class anxieties.
Artists + Institutions Salons was a series presented by the MAK Center for Art and Architecture, and organized by MAK Center director Kimberli Meyer, and artists David Burns of Fallen Fruit and Sara Daleiden of the Los Angeles Urban Rangers. I was the invited artist, with Notch. The series looked at definitions and boundaries of power in the cultural sphere with participants representing multiple positions and interests, including artists, scholars, curators, and museum directors. The purpose of the salons was to invite an intellectual environment in which questions could be posed and meaningful responses elicited about the symbiotic relationship between artists and institutions. With increasing international visibility, Los Angeles has become an interdisciplinary collaborative environment with a variety of trends in cultural production. This series of salons aimed to jumpstart dialogue about the shared dynamics of artists and institutions.
Austerity Measures, 2012
Austerity Measures was served in twenty-seven courses; some edible, some not. Each successive course was influenced and named after the chapters of M.F.K. Fischer’s 1942 book How to Cook a Wolf.
ARTISTS + INSTITUTIONS
austerity measures
MAK Fitzpatrik-Leland House
Sunday, August 12, 2012 at 11:00 AM
How to Be a Sage Without Hemlock.
How to Catch the Wolf.
How to Distribute Your Virtue.
How to Practice True Economy. Prickly pear, wild strawberries, watermelon, basil
How to boil water. Corn bisque, white fish caviar, pepper sorbet
How to greet the Spring. Squid ink lasagna, shrimp, lemon verbena beurre blanc, chervil, labrador violet
How Not to Boil an Egg. Coffee smoked bacon, quail egg, black garlic, parmesan dust
How to Keep Alive.
How to Rise Up Like New Bread. Fromage blanc, fennel pollen
How to Be Cheerful Though Starving.
How to Carve the Wolf. Roasted Pork rack, cherry, roasted dandelion, pickled wild mustard seed, amaranth
How to Make a Pigeon Cry. Boudin blanc, kasha
How to Pray For Peace. Potato
How to Be Content with a Vegetable Love. Wild greens, golden beets, balsamic “dirt”, olive oil powder, dulse
How to Make a Great Show. St. George gin, yuzu bitters, mouthwash
How to Have a Sleek Pelt. Poppy seed ice cream, gin soaked wild currants, grapes
How to Comfort Sorrow. + How Not to Be an Earthworm. Some chocolate dirt, mud, etc.
How to Be a Wise Man.
How to Lure the Wolf.
How to Drink the Wolf. St. John’s Wort iced tea
Brush Fire Program, 2012
In 1959, the Laurel Canyon fire brought mutual aid fire fighters together for the very first planned mutual aid assault on an inner-city brushfire. The menu was composed of elements of fire, smoke, and water –as was the debate at the table.
ARTISTS + INSTITUTIONS
Brush Fire Program
MAK Fitzpatrick-Leland House
Sunday, July 15, 2012 @ 11 AM
Conservation. Cucumber, honeydew, mint auga fresca
Spot Control. Tru vodka, yellow chartreuse, lapsang souchong, twist
Mobilization. Smoke, black cod, kumquat, pistachio aioli, black diamond salt
Protective Measure. Tomato water, compressed watermelon jalapeño, dehydrated cucumber, basil oil
Sector Assignment. Frisse, amaranth, smoked lardon, parmigiano reggiano, pine nut vinaigrette, sous vide egg
Ridgeline Defense. Slow roasted lamb, cucumber gelee, fava beans midget roots, plum
Hydrant Coding. Smoked pinot noir sorbet, rosewater pool
Virgin Brush. Walnut tart, white sage, lavender ganache, bay laurel cream
hook, melody, bridge, chorus, 2012
Inspired by the favorite emotional comfort foods of touring musician patrons of the Canyon Country Store, the menu was inspired by the Laurel Canyon 1960-70s rock scene. Research included extensive oral history of regulars on the steps of the country store.
ARTISTS + INSTITUTIONS
Hook, Melody, Bridge, Chorus
MAK Fitzpatrick-Leland House
Sunday, June 3, 2012 @ 11AM
Hook : 'bloody mary' meyer lemon vodka compressed watermelon, spicy tomato water, four garnishes (pickled asparagus + cucumber, horseradish espuma, pink peppercorn, lemon-olive aspic)
‘agua fresca’ watermelon + citrus ice
beets + gorgonzola ice cream + walnut dust + meyer lemon salt
Melody: rhubarb coffee cake + compote + clotted crème
star anise sous vide rib hash + shirred eggs
asparagus coins + parsley infused oil
buckwheat + shiitakes + chive infused oil
bananas + honey + cashew butter
Bridge: 'smorgasbord one' salt baked salmon, olive oil powder, daikon nukazuke, dill mousse, rye bread crumbs
'smorgasbord two' salt baked salmon, pancetta powder, turnip nukazuke, avocado mousse, smoked rye crumbs
‘chicken and waffles’ polenta + panchetta waffle + chicken + thyme and bay infused maple syrup
Chorus: lemon air + walnut cake + bay laurel ice cream + earl grey ganache
iced coffee + almond milk + dates