We Who Eat Together
Commissioned by QAGOMA for Sugar Spin.
April 2017, three performances
Created by Elizabeth Willing in collaboration QAGOMA Executive chef Josue Lopez.
Former Executive Chef Josue Lopez was at the helm of GOMA’s own Restaurant for over four years, receiving multiple awards including two Chef Hat status from the Good Food Guide for his pioneering culinary style. Taking inspiration and context directly from the art around him, Lopez brings an artistic process every bit as informed by sensory exploration as Willing’s. Drawing on ‘coherence and deliciousness’ as his ongoing creative force, his food concepts are designed to tune in to your senses in subtle ways. Josue believes in each element on the plate speaking for itself, while leaving room for the other voices in the dish, which includes the wine. His attention to the senses compliments Willing’s art practice and together they’ve explored their common interests from opposite perspectives.
In a QAGOMA first, as part of the ‘GOMA Turns 10’ celebrations, Willing & Lopez collaborated to deliver an exceptional dining experience, blending performance art and food. The dinner is their response to the summer exhibition ‘Sugar Spin: You, Me, Art and Everything’, which is a retrospective of GOMA’s most popular artworks and installations over the past 10 years.
Each of the seven courses includes custom-made artworks, unexpected twists on familiar ideas and cultural explorations; developed by the pair to evoke all the senses and invite the audience to reassess their relationship with mealtimes. A retrospective of sorts, together the pair explore some of their own ideas from their very different journeys with food and some new ideas devised purely for the love of creating an experience for the audience. Be prepared for dishes that evoke strong responses and vivid memories, such as the aching sweetness of your first high-school kiss.
-Amy McElhenny, QAGOMA
