Reviews and photos

By now we've had three performances (two in Tallinn, one in Tartu), and the last three performances are this week!

Our production in the press (all in Estonian)
Eesti Päevaleht, Saturday October 16
Postimees, Tuesday October 19
Sirp, Friday October 22
ETV muusikasaade MI, Thursday October 21 at 22.10 and Friday October 22 at 12.40 on National Television ETV (later available on ETV archive)

And here are some photos of our show

Emotional values and authenticity of pleasure

Have you ever lost anything that’s really dear to you? Things which might or might not contain monetary value, but are really important for other reasons? I came across something like this about six months ago I departed from my bag which contained my favourite pen (what is a dramaturg without a pen!), mobile phone with an old text message carrying emotional significance, purse that was given to me for my birthday years ago, and other kinds of nick-nack. I knew where I could buy all of those exact things but I didn’t rush back to those shops. Why? Even if the things would have looked the same, they wouldn’t have been the same items I lost.

Apparently the same principle applies to food, sex and other things and activities we take pleasure in. We need things to FEEL right, real and authentic to enjoy them.

Here’s an article explaining why that may be – On Pleasure (by Maywa Montenegro)

Humans enjoy food. And my dog enjoys food. And I’m sure that at some level, rats enjoy food. But humans enjoy food in a unique way. I don’t doubt for an instance that there are similarities—we’ve all evolved senses that correspond and respond to different chemicals, and that’s part of the pleasure and pain of food. But for humans and for no other creatures, your beliefs about what it is that you’re eating can have a profound effect on how it tastes.

/.../

One of the key dimensions under which we think about food—and sex and morality—is in terms of “natural.” For many people, natural is good. If you believe something is natural—whatever natural comes down to—you’ll prefer it over something that’s artificial or genetically modified or whatever. The naturalness issue also has moral implications. If something is seen as pure, it is seen as morally good, whereas something that’s unnatural is somehow tainted.

Our cast on Estonian morning TV Terevisioon

Mari and Kaja were invited to Estonian morning TV show Terevisioon. They were interviewed in the kitchen, where they presented the multifunctional use of banana (getting rid of fruit flies, polishing furniture and shoes). They also showed how to cook flaming bananas, and gave practical as well as emotional tips about cooking this simple yet tasteful dessert. And amongst all the cooking, the also described the performance and told where and when it's taking place.

The presenters asked Kaja and Mari questions about the performance, and of course the banana was central to the discussion. An interesting quote I picked up from Kaja: "During the performance will find a contact with their own banana in their head". THAT's how we should have advertised the show! :)

Terevisioon can be accessed online. Mari and Kaja appear twice. First on the 46th minute (the time at the top right corner is showing 7.41am) and then on the 109th minute (at 8.43am).

I couldn't find the specific recipe Kaja and Mari were cooking from, but here's one way to make FLAMING BANANAS:

6 bananas

2 Tbsp. margarine

1/4 C. light brown sugar

6 Tbsp. light rum

Peel bananas. Heat margarine in large skillet or blazer pan or chafing dish. Turn bananas in margarine and cook 3 or 4 minutes, until golden colored. Sprinkle with brown sugar and turn bananas until bubbling syrup is formed. Add 2 tablespoons rum and baste bananas with sauce. Set aside until ready to serve. Just before serving, warm bananas until sauce is bubbling. Warm remaining 1/4 cup rum. Pour rum over bananas, ignite, and as flames flicker, serve bananas. Serve alone as dessert or as topping for vanilla or butter pecan ice cream. Slice bananas into small chunks.

(recipe from www.freecookingrecipes.net)

Supermarket experience

Doing our everyday shopping is a sensory experience. The environment has been carefully designed and it’s not only logical how items have been arranged; it’s in fact highly sophisticated and scientific. Below I’ve posted an interesting extract from Siim Nurklik’s text “Kas ma olen nüüd elus” (“Am I Alive Now”).

Those who do not speak Estonian might find interesting stuff from this and this link.

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Kas sina tunned end ka ostukeskustes erilisena? Jääd ka tihti kauemaks kui kavatsesid? Ostad ka asju, mille ostust ei saa koju jõudes eriti aru? Minuga juhtub seda igatahes pidevalt. Ja tuleb välja, et sellel on põhjus olemas. Lähme sisse, ma näitan.

Ja sees me olemegi. Üsna tüüpilises supermarketis, aga eks nad ole kõik omavahel üsna sarnased. Sellel on ka põhjus olemas. Nagu näha, on ostukeskused suur äri, ja poekettide
juhid ja omanikud on muidugi huvitatud sellest, et neist saaks veel suurem äri. Seetõttu kulutavad nad iga aasta miljoneid kroone, et uurida välja, kuidas veenda kliente võimalikult palju raha kulutama. Sellest on isegi kasvanud välja omaette teadusharu, mille eesmärk on rehkendada, mis võtted müügitulemusi kõige efektiivsemalt suurendavad. Meie oleme siin selleks, et need võtted ära õppida.

Alustame siitsamast. Seda ala kutsutakse „lahtilaskmise tsooniks“. Majanduslikult see just kuigi kasumlik pole, aga on selgunud, et külastajad vajavad välisustest sisenemise järel mõnda hetke, et maha rahuneda ja ümber häälestuda. Lahtilaskmise tsooni paigutatakse reeglina ka lillepood – sissepääsust paremal pool – ja filmilaenutus – kassade vastas – ning
tavaliselt ka apteek. Mitte et sa neid kohe külastaksid, praegu on sul teised sihid, aga et sa neid märkaksid, meelde jätaksid ja võib-olla väljudes läbi astuksid. Tervis on ju tähtis ja lilled on ju ilusad ja õhtul võiks midagi vaadata küll. Aga seda hiljem. Praegu võtame korvi ja liigume edasi.

Kohe vasakule käele paigutatakse tavaliselt ajakirjad, muusika, filmid ja mängud. Esiteks, et kliendi tempot aeglustada, teiseks, et teda ilma pikemata impulsiivsete ostudega ahvatleda. Kosmeetika, lõhnaõlid ja kehatarbed asuvad üldiselt ka poe algusosas, pakkudes järgmisi väikseid kiusatusi ja sisendades klientidesse meeldiva, puhta, täisväärtusliku tunde.

Varsti pärast neid osakondi jõuame puu- ja juurviljade sektsiooni, mis on enamasti poe esimene toiduala. Miks just esimene? Eks see võib natuke imelik tunduda, arvestades kui pehmed ja õrnad nad esemetena on. Aga see ei olegi tähtis. Tähtis on, et nad annavad ostlemisretkele tervisliku ja kõlbelise stardi ja lubavad hiljem sooritada kahtlasemaid oste, ilma et tekiksid kõhklused või süümekad. Võtamegi siit paar banaani.

Aina sagedamini kohtab poe esimeses pooles ka pagarilette, kus küll pigem soojendatakse eelkülmutatud aineid, kui küpsetatakse värskeid saiakesi. Kuid see näeb ehtne välja, ja mis peamine – lõhnab ehtsalt. Saialõhn ei tekita mitte ainult soovi pagaritoodete järele, vaid suurendab ka üldist näljatunnet, mis muudab teiste toiduainete müügi samuti märksa hõlpsamaks.

Muide, räägitakse, et lõhnad olevat üldse müügiteaduse tulevik. Hiljuti pakuti näiteks inimestele katsena kahte identset jalanõud: ühte harilikku, ühte lõhnastatut. Ja 84% inimestest eelistas lõhnastatud varianti ja oli ka nõus selle eest rohkem maksma. Kuigi nad ei osanud seletada, miks. Lõhnu kasutatakse ostukeskustes aina rohkem, ja kui te pole seda veel märganud, siis seda parem ostukeskustele.

Nüüd oleme jõudnud vahekäikudeni. Kas te olete mõelnud, kui laiaks vahekäigud on läinud? See on ka täpselt kalkuleeritud. Laiemad käigud tekitavad suurema vabaduse ja isiklikkusetunde, ja pealekauba – mida ostlejad kõige enam vihkavad, on trügimine ja ootamine. Pole äkilisemat šoppamistuju tapjat kui keegi, kes ootamatult kliendi selja või tagumiku vastu läheb. Eriti kui tegemist on naiskliendiga. Jah, seda on ka uuritud. Selle jaoks on isegi oma mõiste leiutatud – „pepupuuteefekt“. Siin tundub õnneks üsna rahulik olevat.

Vahekäigus olles peame muidugi ka rääkima poe luustikust – riiulitest. Inimeste käitumist riiulite ees on väga põhjalikult vaadeldud. On tehtud kindlaks, et kõige väärtuslikum riiulipind asetseb veidi inimeste silmade tasemest ülal, ja pigem paremal kui vasakul pool. Siia paigutatakse tavaliselt kõige tuntumad ja kallimad kaubamärgid – ja muidugi nende firmade tooted, kes on nõus selle eelisõiguse eest väikest lisatasu maksma. Laste seas kõige populaarsemad artiklid, mis nende vanemate jaoks tihti liiga kulukad või kommertslikud on, seatakse madalamatele tasandile. Lapsele, kes on oma lemmikkarbi juba kätte haaranud, on palju, palju raskem „ei“ öelda. Eriti isadel, tuleb välja.

Arvukad katsed on ka teinud selgeks, et mida iganes nad ise väidavad, ei reageeri inimesed hindadele niivõrd oma vajadustele või analüüsile tuginedes, vaid lähtuvad pigem inertsist, hetkeemotsioonist ja eriti võrdlustest teiste sama tüüpi toodetega. Mis toode paigutatakse mille kõrvale ja mis variandid üldse võrdluseks ette antakse, muutub siinjuures ülitähtsaks. Mis muudetakse seeläbi näiliselt soodsaks, mis näiliselt kvaliteetseks, mis näiliselt mõistlikuks.

Muide, kas olete tähele pannud, et kõige menukamad tooted pannakse tihti vahekäigu keskosasse, et kliendid peaksid nendeni jõudmiseks võimalikult paljudest teistest asjadest mööduma? Samal põhimõttel – ja selle peale olete kindlasti ka ise tulnud – asuvad piimatooted alati poe kõige kaugemas nurgas. Piima või koort või jogurtit on ju peaaegu kõigil vaja. Ja mida rohkem aega te ostukeskuses veedate, seda rohkem te ostate. 1% pikem visiit kasvatab müügitulusid 1,3% võrra, on välja arvutatud.

See kehtib muidugi ka muusika kohta, mida taustaks mängitakse, siltide kohta, mis teid igal pool ümbritsevad, ja lausete kohta, millega töötajad teile vastavad. Kuigi selle puhul sõltub rohkem poe ketist ja asupaigast. Juhuse hooleks ei ole aga midagi jäetud. Kõike, mida on võimalik jälgida, proovida ja optimeerida, on jälgitud, proovitud ja optimeeritud. Ja mul on praegu küll optimaalne olla, teil ka, eks? Võtaks selle peale ühe jäätise.

Ja nüüd olemegi kassani jõudnud, või õigemini kassajärjekorda. Mis meile tähendab ootamist, kaupmehele aga ideaalset võimalust panna meid silmitsi meie kõige suuremate nõrkuste ja sõltuvustega. Mistõttu leiame sellel alalt surmkindlalt hulga tabloide, maiustusi, karastusjooke ja suitsupakke. Aga ei tohi, ei tohi.

Huhh, pidasime vastu. Nüüd vaatame, mida kõike me kokku ostsime. Statistika on tõestanud, et enamikku asjadest, mida inimene poeskäigul ostab, ei plaaninud ta poodi sisenedes osta. Näiteks, kust see tuli? Aga ma alguses ju hoiatasin: see on teadus, ja nemad tunnevad seda paremini kui meie. Tere, 455 krooni, jah, peaks olema küll, nii, aitäh, head päeva. Kviitung ka, aga kes seda vaatab.

(Siim Nurklik „Kas ma olen nüüd elus“, 2009)

Kes soovib lugeda raamatu arvustust, siis SIIN on üks.

Can I do what Nigella does? Should I?

Celebrity chefs have brought glamour into cooking. Have they also helped the ordinary person at home cooking ordinary food? Perhaps. Maybe our everyday cuisine is more varied because those chefs with a status of pop stars have introduced us to more exquisite dishes. Maybe it’s quite the opposite – when we see those TV chefs, we feel inferior about our capabilities in the kitchen?

Here’s an article “Home cooks vs chefs”

What's the difference between chef's food and home cooking? Well the main difference as I see it is that chefs are professional cooks working in a restaurant kitchen and have a brigade working with them. Home cooks usually go it alone, or get the odd helping hand from their partners or kids.

Do you have any cooking idols? What do you think of famous chefs?

“Kitchen” by Banana Yoshimoto

Over the production process we have been thinking a lot about our relationships to food and cooking. I also came across a book “Kitchen” (by Banana Yoshimoto) which is a fine encounter of a relationship one of a kind.

Here’s a review.

It has also been adapted to a film.


And some extracts in Estonian:

Vahel, kui ma olen üdini väsinud, mõtlen hardunult, et kui kunagi tuleb minu surmatund, tahaksin oma viimase hingetõmbe teha köögis. Ükskõik, kas see on külm ja inimestest maha jäetud paik või on seal soe ja keegi on mu juures, tahaksin kartmatult surmale näkku vaadata, nagu peab. Oleks hea, kui see juhtuks köögis.

***
Siis, oma pakkide vahele surutud, pimeduse vahel kühmus, ulgusin ma veel nutta. Nii nutsin ma oma elus esimest korda. /.../ Tundus, et ma tahtsin lihtsalt kõige peale nutta mitte et ma oleks millegi konkreetse pärast kurvastanud. Järsku panin ma tähele, kuidas minu pea kohalt paistvast heledast aknast tuli valget auru, mis näis pimeduses hõljuvat. Teritasin kõrvu ja seest kostis töötegemise lärmakaid hääli, pottide kolinat ja lauanõude klirinat. - See oli köök. Naersin peast kinni hoides selle üle, kuidas ma heast peast süngeks ja siis jälle rõõmsaks muutusin. Siis tõusin püsti, kloppisin selliku puhtaks ja asutasin end Tanabede poole minema, kuhu mul täna veel oli plaanis tagasi minna.

***
Jah, aga too taevalik suvi, tolles köögis. Ei hirmutanud mind põletus- ega lõikehaavad, ei morjendanud mind magamata ööd. Iga päev tundsin erutust rõõmust, et homne päev toob kaasa uued väljakutsed. Rohkem kui päheõpitud töövõtteid, läks mu porgandikoogi sisse pudemeid mu hingest. Poes leitud puna-punast tomatit armastasin elu eest.

(„Köök“ Banana Yoshimoto. Tõlk. Kati Lindström)

Trailer of our performance

The final 'work in progress' showing in Viljandi

On July 17th our residency in Viljandi came to an end. We presented our work to the audience, and had another feedback session.

During the feedback session the audience tried to convince us to keep working site-specifically and not to transfer the performance to a black box. We were flattered, but as agreements have been made and everything is organised for the autumn, we can’t change our plans. However, it made us think about possible future projects...

Mari formulated the aim of the residency in an interesting way. She said that we used this week as a working method to gain the basis for the material we will be working with in the autumn. There’s a great difference between working in a neutral studio space with a company, and letting them loose in an exciting venue. Thus, our ideas were developed in many ways in a more fertile ground. We worked with the space, but at the heart of our process were our ideas about kitchen and eating. Of course, the starting point of our topic is a very rich one, allowing us to come up with a world of ideas. The next step is to narrow it down, and we are well on our way to specifying our topic and starting to work on a full-length dance production.

Not only the rehearsal days, but also both of the showings were useful for the company. Running everything in the correct order, the dancers gained a much deeper understanding of their characters. The audience’s reactions and the reality of the performance situation made some new connections to appear which we will continue working with.

From now until the end of August we are on a break. Then the process continues, and so do the reflections in this blog. For now we wish you a great time for the rest of the summer, and you’ll hear from us back here in the autumn!

Making something out of nothing

Our work here in Viljandi is site-specific, and over the past nine days we have been working in former Ugala Theatre (currently called Koidu seltsimaja). There haven’t been any regular theatre performances in that space for decades, but it has been used for several one-off art, music and performance projects mainly by Viljandi Culture Academy’s students. Here are some photos:

When our company first entered the venue nine days ago, we decided that we’re going to work in the framework of our topic – kitchen, but if we get inspired by the atmosphere, we’re going to follow through with the exciting ideas even if they’re not directly connected to kitchen and eating. Thus we gave ourselves immense freedom, and the brainstorming over the first four days was highly productive. The members of our team scavenged the space, and there was no doubt about the quality of inspiration. Our company has never worked together, so during these days we also found out how the members of our company come up with ideas, the ways they share them, and how quickly we can find a common language to work together as a company.

Half way through our residency we began to find the inner connections between all of the different elements, and we concluded that there’s no linear story within the scenes of the production. We didn’t find this devastating because we had only worked for less than a week, and every artistic process starts from numerous ideas, which will later be developed, organised and reorganised. We hoped that for the audience this would be an exciting journey through the building and it would present visible outcomes of the inspiration the spaces offered us.

Today we had the first run-through of our ‘work in progress’ showing. We had a test audience of ten people. During our performance we lead the audience around the entire building, so today we tried out the logic of the journey, all individual scenes in the correct sequence and technical aspects.





Generally our audience was polite, curious and collaborative. After the run-through we had a discussion with some of them to get feedback and to know what they found exciting, and what didn’t quite work for them. Many interesting topics emerged and the company got the idea of the impact of our production.

One of the discussions we had was about the audience’s freedom of movement in our piece. That’s actually one of the most important choices companies working on site-specific productions have to make. Do we let them roam freely in the space? Or do we guide them around in a unison group? In our production the audience is guided around the space as one group. Some audience members felt that they would have liked to have more freedom, and to stay longer in the scenes they especially enjoyed. I think for our ‘work in progress’ it would have been difficult to have all the scenes running simultaneously, because it would have generated many practical issues. In general we had decided to do everything with maximum artistic interest factor and minimum hassle factor.

Another part of constructive feedback was about the structure and content of the scenes. The general feeling was that certain scenes were predictable. If this was the feedback on our final performance, it would be something to be seriously worried about. But at this point it made us realise that by now we worked on some initial storylines, and followed our first impulses. By the end of the week we polished those choices and made the presentable. The next step is to find out what other possibilities do the bases of our scenes offer us, and how can we make those surprising and fresh.

At the end of the discussion we asked every audience and cast member to say one thing we should follow through and continue for our final performance in October. Many exciting ideas came up, and gave us a good understanding of how to continue working.

Tomorrow we have another showing. This will be with an audience of 30. I’ll keep you posted!!

About us and our project

Kitchen – pots, pans, coffee, good smells, bad smells, a world of tastes, light, steam and cleaning products. Some people live their lives in their kitchen, others avoid it to the best of their abilities. In our dance project “Köök” (“Kitchen”) we explore different attitudes towards food, nutrition and kitchens.

Currently we are in artistic residency in Viljandi until July 17th. Our residency is part of NoTaFe dance festival. The end product of our residency will be a ‘work in progress’ showing on July 17th at 10am.
Our final performance will take place in Tallinn on October 14th in Kanuti Gildi Saal.

The aim of this blog is to give an insight into our working process, production ideas and to introduce us. And with that point we will also start. This is us –

Kaja Lindal – choreographer (Estonia)

Kaja graduated from Tallinn Ballet School and Tallinn University choreography department. She has worked in Vanemuine Theatre ballet company, and currently she is a freelance choreographer and a dancer. Her production “Kiri maalt” (“Letter from the Country”) received the Philip Morris Dance Award in 2004. Her recent works include: “Opus Tempus” (2009, with Mari Mägi), “Ballroom for Beginners” (2010, choreographer Jenni Kivelä) and “You, Me, and Everyone We Know” (2010, choreographer Ina Stockem).

Kaja, what is your favourite dish?
Chicken soup.

What is your first memory of food?
The feeling of a fresh morning, a warm wind and strawberries on my grandmother’s field.


Kay Kastner – video artist (Germany)

Kay Kastner (*1974) has studied film and TV science, dance theatre and art history in Leipzig, Liverpool and Bochum (MA in 2004). He has worked as a camera operator and video artist with Matthias Hartmann, one of the most popular directors in Germany. He has made numerous short films and won prices at video festivals. Kay has worked in the porn industry (Inflagranti), in a late night TV show (Die Niels Ruf Show) and made animations. Currently he is working in Berlin as a freelance video artist.

Kay, is there a connection for you between food and creativity?
I am an "Improvisator". I never cook with a recipe.

What is your first memory of food?
Finger nails and bogey.

Do you have any cooking heroes?
My mum.

Mari Mägi – choreographer (Estonia)

Mari worked for several years in Denmark and studied physical theatre in School of Stage Arts. She is a member of Cantabile 2 – one of the most well-known Scandinavian visual and physical theatre companies based in Denmark. Mari works closely together with Kitt Johnson, she has created three solo performances and taken part in various artistic projects all over Europe.
Mari graduated from Tallinn Ballet School; in addition to her studies in School of Stage Arts she has taken part of trainings in Finland, Germany and the US. Over the past years Mari has extended her work to teaching and worked in Estonia, Mexico, US and Denmark.

Mari, can you give an example of a traditional dish or dessert from your country. Do you like it?
As a child our family used to have tea with white bread with homemade jam. I loved the bread and jam part but never understood the concept of tea. Now I am doing tea part as well.

Are there any sayings about food in your country?
Girls have to eat candies, and boys – meat.


Pauli Riikonen – composer, sound designer (Finland)

Pauli is composer/sound designer who has worked widely in the field of performing arts. He has accomplished a bachelor’s degree in sound design in Theatre Academy Helsinki. His background is in theatre and popular music but lately he has worked also in dance, new media, radio and contemporary music. Pauli has also worked as a musician playing guitar, bass, sampler and other electronic instruments. Pauli has worked as a composer in Finnish city theatres, as well as with independent theatre companies. His radio works have been performed at the Finnish National Broadcasting Company.

Pauli, can you give an example of a traditional dish or dessert from your country. Do you like it?
Carelian pie. It is thin rye bread covered with boiled rice. Usually we eat them with egg butter - mashed eggs mixed with butter. I really like them even they are very common everyday food in Finland.

Do you have any cooking heroes?
When I was a child I watched almost every cooking programme. But now I don’t have a TV, so – no idols.


Siret Paju – dramaturg (Estonia)

Siret Paju is a theatre practitioner with multidisciplinary interests and an international background. She trained at The Central School of Speech and Drama in London. Since graduating she has taken part of productions in Poland, Germany, UK and Estonia as a director and a dramaturg. Siret also teaches creative writing for various age and interest groups. She founded Drakadeemia, the first independent playwriting programme in Estonia in 2008.

As a dance dramaturg Siret has been working with contemporary dancers and choreographers. Her recent works include “Phases” by Fine5 Dance Company (2009, Best Dance Production Award from Estonian Theatre Union, 2009) and “Circle Through” by Külli Roosna (2010).

What is your favourite food?
I like eating, and as long as it’s cooked with passion, I believe I can enjoy it. I’m always ready for new experimentation!

Does food play any role in your creativity?
I can’t work when I’m hungry. And the tastier food I eat, the better ideas I get.

Why don’t bananas snore?
They don’t want to wake up the rest of the bunch.


Sofie Salfelt –
set and costume designer (Denmark)

Sofie Salfelt is a scenographer, costume designer and visual artist. She graduated in 2009 from Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design in London with a 1st class honours BA in theatre design.

Some works:
- Dance installation and exhibition " The Shape of Things", Gallery Kling & Bang, Reykjavik, Icland. 2009
- Scenographer " Venus Labyrinth", with the international performance theatre Cantabile 2 runned and founded by Nullo Facchini. 2009
- Costume design " Haiku", with Cantabile 2. 2009
- Costume design for human specific installation performance "Seek to Seek”, with Cantabile 2. 2010

More info: www.cantabile2.dk

Sofie, what is your favourite food?
The people you eat with and the surroundings can make the meal. Otherwise, I enjoy seafood and fruit. And Christmas dinner with duck, potatoes, gravy, beetroots and wine is heaven. Even more so because you only have it once a year.

Do you have any cooking heroes?
Anyone who prepared a meal for me, and spent time and care to make it, is a hero to me!

What is the best dish for a hot summer's day?
Melon soup and strawberries.