Open Kitchens OPEN KITCHENS is a continuation of a series of events presented in previous Pame Kaimakli editions (open doors, open windows, open houses, open courtyards).The event took place as an OPEN CALL addressing Kaimakli residents, artists, social practitioners, activists, academics and anyone interested in participating in the development of activities in the upcoming Pame Kamakli festival in 2020.OPEN KITCHENS is a co-creation tool in the form of a cooking and dining launched by Urban Gorillas. It aims to enhance the participatory aspect of the upcoming Pame Kaimakli 2020 festival by building a dialogue amongst diverse groups of people in a relaxed and inclusive manner.OPEN KITCHENS was a unique dining experience where residents of Kaimakli of diverse ethnic backgrounds with passion for cooking are hosted in the homes of local residents’ and staged dinners from around the world: Italy, Somalia, Japan, Syria, Italy, China, and the Carribean !#buildingcommunities#celebratingdiversity “Open Kitchens” is a co-creation tool in the form of cooking and dining launched by Urban Gorillas. It aims to enhance the participatory aspect of the upcoming “Pame Kaimakli” 2020 festival by building a dialogue amongst diverse groups of people in a relaxed and inclusive manner. At the same time, it celebrates the cultural layers of the neighborhood of Kaimakli through the launch an open invitation for sharing stories, visions and tasty food.
“Open Kitchens” took place in July 2019 and is a continuation of a series of events presented in previous “Pame Kaimakli” editions (“Open Doors”, “Open Windows”, “Open Courtyards”: for details check “Adopt an Artist” description). An open call addressing Kaimakli residents, artists, social practitioners, activists, academics was launched asking the public for the development of activities together with the migrant community of the area.
“Open Kitchens” was a unique dining experience where residents of Kaimakli, from diverse ethnic backgrounds and a passion for cooking, were hosted in the homes of local residents’ to stage dinners from around the world. Chefs from Italy, Somalia, Japan, Syria, Philippines, China, and the Carribean were hosted in seven houses in the neighborhood. In total, 77 participants from 15 different nationalities, from diverse paths of life and ages from 15-86 years old participated and distributed evenly amongst them the seven dinners.
The food prepared and served was intentionally vegetarian in order to further increase awareness about the impact of raising animals while in a climatic emergency state, and a proposal to move towards a more sustainable lifestyle. This was challenging for chefs and participants, yet unsurprisingly, and according to the participants, it was a successful attempt demonstrating alternative, healthier and possibly tastier eating habits.
After the selection of the participants, UG acted as the mediator between invited chefs and hosts with regular meetings in order to finalize the identity of the activity based on the uniqueness of each chef and host. UG also acted as a matchmaker between involved participants and hosts, in an attempt to distribute people of different ages, nationalities and backgrounds evenly in the 7 houses.
The gathering and the assignment of the participants to houses and chefs took place at the traditional coffee shop at the church square of the old Kaimakli neighbourhood. All the participants were involved in the preparation and the cooking following the instructions of the chefs. During the cooking and the ensuing dinner, the participants discussed various issues about the act of eating as a catalyst for socializing and bringing together people, that otherwise would have never found an opportunity to meet. They also brainstormed with ideas for the forthcoming festival.
Even though dining with complete strangers, the process of food preparation made it easy to connect. People shared relevant stories personal, communal, ethnic expressed through dancing and singing and other spontaneous activities. The moderators of each group documented the ideas and proposals and shared them with the participants during a wrap-up gathering at the end of the event. This took place back at the coffee shop, where the traditional local sweet “mahalepi” was served. The participants expressed an unprecedented enthusiasm for the whole event, while through testimonies, it seems that it might have been the first time that many immigrants felt like part of the neighborhood’s community.
For many participants, the communal cooking echoed the lost tradition of the celebration of weddings, where the community helped in the preparations in any possible way that included cooking together to celebrate and indulge to a collective joy in the settlement.
Open Kitchens has been a research tool for UG, where input from the discussions over dinner provided information on how to best plan the next edition of the “Pame Kaimakli” festival adopting the themes of food culture and integration of disadvantaged communities.
Celebrating cultural identity in Kamakli or_ Celebrating the cultural layers of Kamakli-An invitation to co-create
ENGLISH TEXT
Short description
OPEN KITCHENS is curated discussions over dinner in the neighborhood of Kaimakli, organised by Urban Gorillas and the residents of the area.
The process of cooking and dining collectively is a tool to bring people together and discuss co-creation and development of the
Οι ΑΝΟΙΧΤΕΣ ΚΟΥΖΙΝΕΣ είναι επιμελημένες συζητήσεις στην γειτονιά του Καϊμακλίου, που διοργανώνεται από τους Urban Gorillas και τους κατοίκους της περιοχής.
Η διαδικασία μαγειρέματος και του συλλογικού δειπνου είναι ένα εργαλείο για να φέρει τους ανθρώπους μαζί και για να ξεκινησει μια συζητηση περι συν-δημιουργίας και την ανάπτυξη του φεστιβάλ Pame Kaimakli 2020.
OPEN KITCHENS is research project where collective cooking and dining becomes a tool for engagement and participation in the upcoming Pame Kaimakli festival 2020.
The passionate chefs are residents of Kaimakli of diverse ethnic backgrounds who are hosted in local homes.
Οι ΑΝΟΙΧΤΕΣ ΚΟΥΖΙΝΕΣ είναι ένα πρότζεκτ όπου η διαδικασία μαγειρέματος και του συλλογικού δειπνου γίνεται εργαλείο συν-δημιουργίας και συμμετοχής για το προσεχες φεστιβάλ ΠΑΜΕ ΚΑΙΜΑΚΛΙ 2020.
Οι παθιασμένοι σεφ είναι κάτοικοι του Καϊμάκλιου προερχομενοι απο διαφορετικες εθνικοτητες οι οποιοι θα μαγειρεψουν σε σπιτια της γειτονιας.
ENGLISH TEXT
DETAILED DESCRIPTIONS BELOW
OPEN KITCHENS is a continuation of a series of events presented in previous Pame Kaimakli editions (open doors, open windows, open houses, open courtyards).
This event takes place as an OPEN CALL addressing Kaimakli residents, artists, social practitioners, activists, academics and anyone interested in participating in the development of activities in the upcoming Pame Kamakli festival in 2020.
OPEN KITCHENS is a co-creation tool in the form of a cooking and dining launched by Urban Gorillas. It aims to enhance the participatory aspect of the upcoming Pame Kaimakli 2020 festival by building a dialogue amongst diverse groups of people in a relaxed and inclusive manner.
OPEN KITCHENS is a unique dining experience where residents of Kaimakli of diverse ethnic backgrounds with passion for cooking are hosted in the homes of local residents’ to stage dinners from around the world: eg. Italy, Somalia, Japan, Syria, Spain, China, the Carribean and more!
A discussion will be curated during the dinner to generate a brainstorming session on arts-based practices for building an inclusive neighborhood, which will be the focal theme of Pame Kaimakli 2020 festival .
Due to the limited capacity to host numerous guests, participants should reserve their seat in advance. RSVP your attendance by July 14th.
We will get back to you to announce the thematic dining experience assigned to you.
*A donation of any amount would be appreciated and would be re-directed to pay for groceries and any excess will go to instantly to support vulnerable people.
Date : 21.07.2019
Meeting Time : 18.30 @ Kafeneio
Arrival at your host house: 19.00
Cooking preparation: 19.00-20.00
Dining : 20.00-22.00
Dessert: 22.00-23.00 : All participants return at the Kafeneio for tradional Cyprus desert and wrap-up.
Reservations and Questions: communications.urban.gorillas@gmail.com