Studio Orta

To inaugurate contemporary art triennial in the city of Hasselt in Belgium, Lucy + Jorge Orta installed a 70 x 7 buffet table in the gardens of Z33 Centre for Contemporary Art and Design. The overarching symbol of the meal was artichoke, the artists occurring symbol of empathy and sharing. Artichokes were grown in the local kitchen gardens over the year leading up to the meal, and prepared and cooked by students from the local cookery school. The Royal Limoges porcelain plates commissioned for the meal depicts variations of artichoke species with their leaves revealing tender hearts, a binding metaphor of the triennial.