Alserkal Arts Foundation
As the culinary programme Rewilding the Kitchen with Nahla Tabbaa came to an end, the cohort gathered at Alserkal Arts Foundation, Warehouse 51, on Saturday 27 May for an Open Kitchen that showcased their collection of thoughts, writing, and recipes developed over the last two months.
4:00-5:30 pm | Chef’s Table
6:00-8:00 pm | Open Buffet
From 4 - 5:30pm, ideas were presented in a walk-through with time-sensitive performances.
Participants include Abbie De Garza, Abdullah Alkindi, Abeer Loan, Andrew Riad, Aya Afaneh, Bhavika Bhatia, Farah Nasrawi, Jehan Ali, Lamya Tawfik, Luchie Suguitan, Narimene Hakimi, Richi Bhatia, Shannon Ayers Holden, Shereen Saif and Zina Akrout & Fouad Boudjedra of kōl.
About Rewilding the Kitchen
Rewilding the Kitchen was launched in 2021 as a programme that explored the practices and world-views of four artists—Salma Serry (Sufra Kitchen), Moza Al Matrooshi, Aya Shaban (Namliyeh) and Manal Abu Shmais (Namliyeh)— through the lens of food.
Consisting of three recipes and texts featured on alserkal.online, complemented, off-line, by dishes that popped up at workshops and tastings at various events in Alserkal Avenue, the programme invited ingredients to tell their own authentic stories and explored how these artists allowed for that.
For the second and more expansive iteration, the impetus for a residency programme with tangible outcomes became evident as the culinary and art landscape continues to grow and produce new outcomes for research and practice.
In March 2023, an open-call accepted 16 participants into the programme. The programme invited long-time collaborators of Nahla Tabbaa to host sessions that combined writing, cooking, performance and reflective discussions centring around food. The hosts were Moza Almatrooshi, The Alchemy of Dyeing, Dulce De Mirchi, Andrew Riad and Sondos Azzam. Each session was punctuated by mentorship and experimental writing prompts led by Kevin Jones. The programme further organised an excursion to the Sharjah Biennial, and film screenings that expanded on the themes of food, ecology, poetry and more.