Ecuador is marked by a legacy of colonization, arcane land use and inheritance laws that together have resulted in the displacement of many indigenous people from their land, while also at times resulting in poor soil management and depletion.
The resulting anemia, and geographical and cultural dislocation are entwined. This project raises awareness of indigenous foods and recipes with particular nutritional and culinary merit.
Traditional cooks teach professional chefs, who translate them into an art context, re-valuing them for a mestizo audience and reinforcing the public perception of their cultural and nutritional value.
Artist Craig Shillitto and his team created a performative event that served as a frame or boundary for the overall artwork to take place. This leaves both a figurative and conceptual space to be filled by the engagement of the participants. The paradigm is that of an “open work” – one that is completed only as it is enacted in real time and space. The work is participatory, durational, and acts as an extension of the real world of economic, cultural and social relations.
For this project, 24fps Productions volunteered crew, equipment, and editorial staff to fully document the project in Quito, Ecuador.
Some Images from the filming of the short documentary.
