0204 12 HOUR SOUP
PerformanceAnna Floto and Chloe Cekada
Cauldron: Chloe Cekada, Mateo Prado, Anna Floto and Helena Buxa
28.05.2024
12 Hour Soup is a piece inspired heavily by Rirkrit Tiravanija’s Untitled (1992) and the art movement Relational Aesthetics. The project aims to foster social engagement and communal participation. In homage to Tiravanija’s work, which famously involved cooking and serving pad thai to gallery visitors, 12 Hour Soup similarly seeks to create a space for shared experiences and interactions through the simple act of preparing and eating food together.
To initiate this communal project, 400 posters were put up in various neighborhoods of Barcelona in six different languages; Catalan, English, Spanish, Urdu, Arabic and French, each listing different ingredients needed for the soup. The concept was that members of the general public would tear off a selected ingredient from the poster and bring it to the designated space where the soup was being prepared. This act of contributing an ingredient served as a catalyst for involvement and participation, breaking down barriers between strangers and encouraging a sense of community.
The ultimate goal of 12 Hour Soup was to create an environment where people who might not typically interact in their daily lives could come together, converse, and share a meal. By contributing to and partaking in the making of the soup, participants were given the opportunity to connect with others in a meaningful way. The process of gathering ingredients and the subsequent communal cooking and eating underscored the importance of collaboration, generosity, and the shared human experience.
The project challenges the traditional notions of art confined within gallery walls and invites the public to engage in a dynamic and inclusive artistic process. 12 Hour Soup transforms everyday interactions into art, creating a living, breathing piece that evolves with each participant's contribution. This approach not only democratizes the art experience but also highlights the power of food as a universal medium for connection and community-building.
By situating 12 Hour Soup in a public space and involving a diverse cross-section of the community, the piece emphasizes the relational aspect of art, where the focus shifts from the art object to the social interactions it generates. This aligns with the principles of Relational Aesthetics, placing the act of communal participation and the relationships formed throughout this interaction at the core of the artistic experience.
Find out more about Annas work here, and find out more about Chloes work here.