Studio Orta

Lucy + Jorge Orta’s ongoing body of work, 70 x 7 The Meal, draws from the ancestral ritual of dining together, to create a social platform for communities to engage in conversations that explore and connect local food initiatives.

Act XL (40), was commissioned by the NTU Center for Contemporary Art in Singapore and took place at Gillman Barracks, on the evening of January 20, 2017. The menu for 200 guests, was prepared by Chef Misso Russell Keith from the Open Farm Community. For each table setting, Lucy Orta created a series of textile centre-pieces, so-called 'islands of knowledge'. These exquisite navigation maps, made with locally-sourced textiles, represent the the different archipelago of South East Asia. Their topographies are constructed in layers, merging patterns and imaginary landscapes to be used as prompts for conversations.

Leading up to the dinner, a collaborative workshop devised by Lucy Orta with Foodscape Collective Singapore, brought together local chefs, bakers, farmers, gardeners, policy makers, activists and artists to participate in interactive discussions sessions to examine food sustainability, and to generate a range of playful and provocative topics including, food production-distribution, identity-culture and giving-sharing. The workshop findings were presented to the guests in the form of text-based and edible ‘provocations’, wrapped in furoshiki bundles prepared by Mamakan.