STREETKITCHEN_Kolkata is a selfinitiated collaborative project taking place in Kolkata for three weeks in 2013. The project challenges itself by compressing time in order to move forward. Via an artistic and social experience, the project investigates Kolkata at streetlevel by exploring traditional crafts, materials, objects and not at least the city, the political-and economical systems, the people and the actions behind. Clay, bamboo, plant seeds, cups and carts are put in new context with artisans and street vendors to create a different view of the city. A locally designed Palki is carried out in an urban situation for one day in order to collaborate directly with street vendors, formal shops, their customers and other pedestrians in a very concrete manner. As point of departure for the collaboration, everyday object are used - adjusted clay cups from Kolkata and recycled porcelain from Denmark. Visual artist Anja Franke joined the project for the last week with her dinnerware WASTE SERVICE, which was transported to India in order to be part of STREETKITCHEN_Kolkata. Here people could participate by painting porcelain with the pattern WASTE TIME while drinking chai out of porcelain or clay cups. The traditional clay cup was adjusted with a seedstamp consisting of native plants from the encyclopaedia Flora Indica. A future unexpected and random garden of pumpkin, coriander and fennel will have the possibility to grow in Kolkata, on locations where chai customers throw their used Flora Indica Clay Cup.
http://cargocollective.com/STREETKITCHEN_Kolkata