Kolleg für studentischen Austausch und gutes Essen (Collective for Student Exchange and Good Food)
I co-initiated DAS KOLLEG FÜR STUDENTISCHEN AUSTAUSCH UND GUTES ESSEN (Collective for Student Exchange and Good Food) in 2009 at the Dresden University of Fine Arts (HfBK). Over a three year period we ran two temporary restaurants and organized seminars and film screenings which – with the help of Peter Kubelka – thematized cooking as an art form in its own right. Throughout this time we helped create a space for reflection on what a university can be, socially, intellectually, artistically and culinarily. In this way, we helped spearhead developments at the HfBK that are still noticeable to this day.
Text-excerpts about our collective from 2010:
WHAT WE DO
From the preparations that already begin in the morning to the cooking itself – all the way up to serving the completed dishes in exchange for donations –, the entire process takes place publicly around the counter in the middle of the space. Visitors sitting in the “egg” are able to follow the food preparation, while those doing the cooking can actively engage with those who have come to eat. With a focus on intense attention during the food preparation as well as the carefully chosen furnishings, we want to foreground transparency and clarity – these form the foundation for meaningful discussion.
THE FOOD
To us, what and where we eat as we make our way through studies is an important dimension within this structure – with respect to both social interaction and physical energy – and, as such, is part of our artistic material. This begins with the fact that a body that is not constantly battling against bloating or similar issues has many more opportunities to physically and mentally develop. We have all had the experience when frustrated taste buds make productive discussion at an otherwise amicable dining situation impossible. This point is particularly important for us since our studies do not simply take place alone in our studios or during the theoretical course offerings. They take place in the possibility to exchange experiences and ideas with one another in an appropriate collective space and when we are able to discuss our artistic concerns with one another in a self-determined way. We want to be able to offer fresh, organic products from regional and sustainably sourced farms. We get our vegetables, bread, milk products and herbs from Hof Mahlitzsch, Hofgut Pulsitz and Gut Gamig Collective. We are still in discussions with various suppliers for sourcing our beverages, such as lemonade, wine and Prosecco. We can, however, already say with certainty that our fair-trade coffee will be sourced from PHOENIX coffee roasters in Dresden, whose enthusiastic support makes it possible to offer this wonderful coffee at a fair price.
THE SPACE
Our attempt to create such a unique public space, to conceive of it as an artistic form and to develop and craft it with the necessary care and excitement, all came from the absence of the existence of such a space paired with the wonderful idea that we might be able to play a role in crafting the spaces that surround – and decidedly influence – us during our time as art students. That such a space should be located at the same place we are pursuing our studies, stems from our experience that such a proximity to our artistic work shapes the discussions we are able to have about our artistic practices in a more meaningful way. The formal processes that we all go through during our development in this shared space make possible a lived engagement with concepts that had been more or less purely theoretical up to that point, concepts such as social sculpture as compared with performance or happenings. What art can be and what it, in some cases, can get in the way of, are our thematic companions for this collective work.
We feel that our hospitality and active approach in such a self-defined space could be a beacon for others to take up similar projects. As such, we see ourselves enabling and pursuing artistic practices that directly affect the entire university.
