SPUD: Jiwar

Food and shared eating as a catalyst for dialogue. 

The research residency with Jiwar Creation and Society, Barcelona, provided the opportunity to take the accumulated GIY techniques from the SPUD project and put it to use in the urban Spanish market place. At this location, where agriculture intercepts the city, the market’s patrons were shown how to grow potatoes from shopping bags. They left the market with both their purchased vegetables and growing plants. 

The Parmentier Feast at JIWAR was the first of a series of food events that will re-enact the actions of the French pharmacist Antoine Augustine Parmentier. Parmentier changed cultural attitudes towards the potato in France during a period of continuous famine in the 18th century. The performative dinner provided a frame for discussion on sustainable food production, the migration of seeds and people, food security and the interconnected nature of rural urban relationships. 

The Parmentier Feast at JIWAR had a menu based on historic potato moments, beginning with South American chũno and ending with Northern Irish potato apples. The guests all have a particular interest in food and culture and the event was an opportunity to share views on food and/as identity.

Participants:  Antoni Miralda (Food Cultura), Raquel Fernández (Dialogue & Discourses), Eduard Miralles (Interarts Foundation), Paula Gicovate,Pau Catà (CeRCCa Center for Research and Creativity), Rosi Morales (Diógenes), Ahmed Ghazali (K.NOUR), Norlynne Coar, Pius Alibek, Mireia Estrada Gelabert (JIWAR).