Bread, rice paper, wine, olive oil, and water are among the few edible materials that have accompanied my creative journey, each serving as a medium rather than mere sustenance. There is something liberating, as an adult, in the act of playing with food in a way that redefines play itself. Edible elements are deeply inspiring because they are relatable capsules of familiarity charged with memory.
It was tempting to test the allure of “THE AGE OF TOMATO” by inviting people to disobey conventional table manners, on the occasion of “Traditional, Illegal,” conceived by Nikos Karaflos and organised by Dexamenes x Limen, within “The Food Edition” research trip, of which I was part, alongside other guests.
One evening before dinner was served, I placed on each guest’s setting a small carton of locally produced tomato paste, accompanied by a pair of scissors. I introduced the project – the notions on seasonality, coming of age, and, of course, tomatoes before we were served and invited everyone to cut a corner and squeeze the tomato paste onto their plates and table—drawing, and playing with their food.
For me, the culmination of the first series in Kourouta, Ilis, with the support of Dexamenes Seaside Hotel and the invaluable contribution of Giannis Boziaris, marks the ease with which people let go, participate, and enter into a shared field of improvisation by momentarily suspending the rules that structure everyday life.
There is something cathartic in making a mess. We rarely attend to our inherent appetite of making a mess internally or in the 3D, yet it always surfaces. We all squeeze fragments of our own juicy existence onto shared surfaces or spheres—sometimes willingly, sometimes not. And although we believe we can wipe things clean, we remain accountable for what surrounds us, even as witnesses rather than direct participants.
On this note, I would like to extend my thanks to all who participated that evening in THE AGE OF TOMATO.
