start

Wo geht es zum Buffet?

As you can imagine by the humorous title, we are seekers.

So what we are searching for?

We will search for cultural, historical and political dimensions of food.
We will see, feel, taste and smell, what food can do,
using a wide variety of media and materials.
This different approaches will guide us to a collective working practice.
We will probably encounter the familiar,
but we will for sure discover also unknown.
Perhaps we will find things along our way, that we weren't looking for.
Probably that is the best.
So always be open to unexpected moments.

Dates
13.11.2024
14.11.2024
20.11.2024 zoom-meeting
27.11.2024
28.11.2024
11.12.2024
12.12.2024
19.12.2024 zoom-meeting
13.01.2025
14.01.2025
15.01.2025

14-17 o'clock

Let's explore the supermarket.
27. November 2024
13 - 17 pm

We meet in an almost abandoned shopping centre in Linz Urfahr. Many shops have already left the huge building. Only a few small shops remain. And Billa. A huge one. With huge shelves, some of them completely empty. Everything is being renovated. So we came in the last few weeks of this mail. The whole shop was like an installation in itself. We had already started collecting material for our exhibition.
We were totally impressed.
We also met the caretaker. He was so nice and showed us all the other areas of the building. Our highlight was a restaurant area for 700 people. It felt like a gigantic theme park. It was almost like travelling back in time. Everything was so crazy and overwhelming at the same time.

Debriefing at the University.

Let's get started.

Let's cook together.
28. November 2024
13 - 18 pm

Each person brings an ingredient of their choice.
We put everything together on a table and decide together what we want to combine, what dishes we can cook and what we want to try.

Afterwards we had a great meal together,
tasted and smelled what we had prepared
and discussed possibilities for the exhibition.

That was great fun. Browsing around, the pictures, all the different and tantalising variations for us.

DAY 1

Never limit yourself in categories.

DAY 2

DAY 4

DAY 3

Being irritated by every day things.

13. November 2024
13 - 17 pm
First thing:
A dish or a food/product of your choice.
Whether it's something homemade, something from the market or a product from the supermarket, it is up to you.
Just think about, what played a role in your choice?

Second Thing:
Please bring along a thing, an object or a material that you find exciting and that is connected, or you associate with food in a narrow or broad sense.
Why did you choose this object?

So please explain your choices and prepare a short presentation for us.

Versuch macht klug.

14. November 2024
13 - 17 pm
Space:
What kind of space do we want to create?
What kind of atmosphere do we want to create?
What kind of environment do we want to create?

Guests:
How should our guests be guided through the evening?
What should the experience?
How should the get involved?
Should the interact with each other?

Dishes:
What approach do we have regarding the dishes?
Consider always different approaches.
It could be a combination: personal, social, historical, contemporary.

Objects:
What kind of objects we use?
Do we build something?
Do we use „found footage“, give „old“ object an other meaning?

Ready to fail.

DAY 5

Let's start testing.
11. Dezember 2024
13 - 17 pm

Some of us have already collected a large quantity of boxes. The best place for this is in fact HOFER. The people there are so friendly.

Everyone has already tried out their dish at home that they want to present at the exhibition and has brought it to our meeting.
That included also a lot of tasting.
Explanation of the dish, idea, history, material, presentation of the dish.

We discussed where we need to improve and what is the best possibility to present the works.

We discussed the 2 options of exhibition space we have.

DAY 6

Gratisprobe

DAY 9

12. Dezember 2024
13 - 17 pm

We brought all the material we collect so far in our exhibition space and tried out some arrangements and display options.

We collect all the calendar pages
discussing the presentation, the printing and the edition of the calendar.

We also dicussed our timetable for January.

15. January 2025
10 - 22 pm

10 am: Start of the day

final arrangements for the exhibition

lets have lunch together

16 pm: photo shooting with William Knaack
18 pm: opening GRATISPROBE

Most important thing: having fun!

Book List

1. Joseph Ponthus, On the line, Notes from a fabric, 2019
Original title: À la ligne

2. Mathis Faldbakken, The waiter, 2018
Original title: The Hills

3. Jonas Mekas,

4.

5.

6.

7.

Browsing around.

ONLINE

ZOOM MEETING
20.11.2024
13:00 o'clock

NEXT MEETING

27.11.2024

14 o'clock

Meeting point:

Tramstation: Station Linz/Donau Ontlstraße

Please be in time!

Wo gehts zum Buffet/ Day 2

Victoria was kind enough to take notes on the second day,
while we were discussing:

What kind of space do we want to create ?

ideas and keywords :
include people, make something people can interact with
everyone has a connection to eating because we have to eat,
ist ein Grundbedürfnis/ it is a basic need
we want to create a welcoming warmth
have a round table, maybe like the ones in chinese restaurants that can spin or have tables with wheels so they can be moved around
sit only on the floor so the experience can be more intimate
we like the Idea of making Cocktails, and having a Bar but how can we make it fit our theme create an exaggerated atmosphere, for example be unreasonably nice and unsettle the guests with it
Have a big witches cauldron and serve/eat the food with comically large spoons
blend all the food, have the people choose their Food and then let them watch (in horror) as we blend it all together and serve it to them (could be some kind of Cocktailbar ) Futterneid/ Foodenvy (not sure about the translation) create a situation where people are forced to share their food or maybe have to switch it with someone else
create a room of “Omaessen”/Grandmother Food collect traditional recipes from our Grandparents and make them
don't separate Food by culture, maybe combine different cultures,
Drink Glücksrad ! Food Glücksrad ? Wheel of fortune for Drinks and Food
create a game where you have to either play with your food or play to get food
give out a “Wundertüte” (Suprise bag)
Alles Pürrieren/ blend everything!!!
What space do we want to inhabit ?
Seminarroom and/or Projectroom and/or the Hallway
the Courtyard (we have to think about the weather in january, maybe there will be snow, can we have a Fire there?)
maybe outside of Uni, the space where Fronfood is
cooperation with Caritas give out a warm stew (but we have to get information on if we can just give out food to a lot of people,someone should check out laws about giving out food) Do we want to stay in one space or maybe create “stations” and guide people through our Project, create a story and have people walk and taste through our exhibition

other Questions to think about :

Do we want to invite people, if yes who do we want to invite?
Should there be service ?
Do we want to serve the people or should they serve themselves ?
Do we want to tell a story ?
Should we guid the audience?

NOTES FROM MARIA NALBANTOVA

Where to go to the buffet?
First thing:
A dish or a food/product of your choice.
Whether it’s something homemade, something from the market or a product from the supermarket, it is up to you.
Just think about, what played a role in your choice?

Sour milk

In Bulgaria, yogurt, known locally as “sour milk”, is more than just food, it’s a cultural symbol. It is featured in dishes like tarator (a cold yogurt and cucumber soup) and snezhanka (a variation of tzatziki) and is also enjoyed as a refreshing drink called ayran or it is eaten plain.
While the exact origins of yogurt remain unknown, Bulgaria has a special connection to it through Lactobacillus bulgaricus. This unique microorganism was first identified in 1905 by the Bulgarian scientist Stamen Grigorov during his medical studies in Geneva. In 1907, it was named in honor of Bulgaria. Together with Streptococcus thermophilus, it forms a symbiotic relationship responsible for the distinct taste, texture, and health benefits of Bulgarian yogurt.
In the post-socialist era, yogurt has taken on new symbolic meanings, embodying both national pride and nostalgia. Many Bulgarians believe that Lactobacillus bulgaricus thrives only in their homeland due to the country’s specific natural conditions.
Traditionally, yogurt-making was rooted in rituals that emphasized purity and harmony. Silence was observed during its preparation, quick movements were avoided, and the yogurt starter was treated with reverence and gratitude toward nature.
Today, sour milk embodies the essence of symbiotic connections, offering a potential perspective on contemporary society.
-----------------------------
I plan to mix original Bulgarian yogurt (bought from the newly opened Bulgarian shop in Salzburg) with Austrian milk to create a special type of Austro-Bulgarian yogurt.
I hope it works!

Second Thing:
Please bring along a thing, an object or a material that you find exciting and that is connected, or you associate with food in a narrow or broad sense.
Why did you choose this object?

Ja r

I am bringing a jar because, throughout my life, I have prepared homemade yogurt in glass jars.
*To ensure proper fermentation, I cover them with my jacket or a blanket for a few hours.

Space:
What kind of space do we want to create?
Warm

What kind of atmosphere do we want to create?
Fermented

What kind of environment do we want to create?
Reflective

Guests:
How should our guests be guided through the evening?
Whispering

What should be the experience?
Symbiotic

How should the guests get involved?
Through spoons

Should they interact with each other?
Yes

Dishes:
What approach do we have regarding the dishes?
Inclusive

Consider always different approaches.
It could be a combination: personal, social, historical, contemporary.
Personal, socio-political

Objects:
What kind of objects we use?
Jar, spoon, bowl, glass

Do we build something?
Yes

Do we use „found footage“, give „old“ object an other meaning?
I usually do, but in this particular case, it’s not the key.
Sour milk