FOOD AS A FACE OF A COMMUNITY

FOOD AS A FACE OF A COMMUNITY


Collaborative work with rice: 2015, Japan Foundation New Delhi


Koustav Nag(India)
Ema Kawanago (Japan)


Rice is an important Asian Cuisine geographically. Rice farming is a very delicate process. As I am Indian we have multiple rice framing processes depending on climate & Soil.

The idea of space as an entity is of two kinds -­‐ One is the geographical space that could be mapped, measured, walled, occupied and owned; The other is an abstract one that exists within this geographical space yet cannot be enclosed within any specific physical boundary. It is more of an idea of space which people who migrate to different cities and countries carry within their minds and sometimes souls.

One of the most significant symbols of people's identity all over the globe is their cuisine, which is always culture, climate and geography-specific. The recipes are handed down from generation to generation, and the ingredient of the same food varies, however slightly, from the region and, thus becoming awed of the immense potential of food as an ingredient in writing the history of the ever-evolving culture. The traditional food becomes the symbol of the lost home in a foreign land. However, the interaction of the migrant with their host culture sometimes may subtly change the inherent character of the food, as the traditional ingredients may not be available and need to be substituted. Thus food creates an exclusive cultural space and yet simultaneously opens up a scope of interaction with a larger culture within it.





Work processed:



In this project I intend to map a specific area through identifying different cuisines from the different communities, Culture and countries. The process of work involves researching a specific area, documentation (through writing and photography) andinterview. My concept in its final stage would be represent through installation, Video documentation and Photography installation. Along with the Mapping of the food I will make multiple Cuisine with rice that is geographically and climate wise different territory.

                  Video Reference, 2015

Your answer is not in a dictionary

« Come, let’s go down and confuse the people with different languages. Then they won’t be able to understand each other. »

Language is a fundamental element of communication between humans. When we can’t understand the language, we try to imagine what does means by the context of you. Also, we can translate one language into another language, but the nuance can be changed for an origin and sometimes we can’t find a word exactly the same. Each language has its own expression and sometimes it links a culture or costume of the country. Glad to these differences, cultures are rich and can have diversities. In this video work, we present a moment of the imagination and the differences are born.