Art and Food Collide Anew

Art and Food Collide Anew

Art and cooking have long been natural bedfellows, two mediums that dovetail through a shared conviction for creativity. Although art fixtures often hang on restaurant walls and galleries occasionally feature passed hors d'oeuvres, it's rare to find a venerable middle ground between the two. Azimuth Projects originated as an evolving, ongoing series of art/food events hosted in a private residence in Logan Square, featuring artists and chefs together in one setting. Following a brief hiatus between events, Azimuth Projects kicks back up May 3 with a new roster of artists and chef Hugh Amano working under the theme "Swath." 


Azimuth Projects
(Azimuth Projects)

 

Art and Food Collide Anew: Maurene Cooper is the woman behind the concept for Azimuth Projects. An artist with a penchant for curating creativity in every sense of the word, Cooper kicked off her revolving series with chefs such as Christine Cikowski and Joshua Kulp of Honey Butter Fried Chicken and Sunday Dinner Club. She has also worked with talented pastry chef Natalie Zarzour, nee of Pasticceria Natalina. For each Project event, Cooper contrives a designated theme, inviting two or three artists to display apropos work in her Logan Square apartment. While guests meander around the space, gawking at art, a chef or two is tasked with preparing themed food for the occasion. At the essence, guests are feeding their minds, their souls, and their stomachs. 


Her new event, Swath, takes place May 3 from 6:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. at 2704 N. Whipple. Said theme focuses on camouflage and vibrant colors in tune with spring, featuring the artistic handiworks of Patty Carroll and Jordan Martins. The former concentrates on large-scale photographs of women, while the latter will feature a wall display of merged flourescent grocery store signs. Amano, a chef who has experience in the "underground" department at his own former Food on the Dole concept, will be rounding out the evening with a tortellini demonstration and tasting. $10 donations are suggested. For more info, visit here


As the event draws near, I chatted with my pal Amano to gauge his interest in the event and see how he feels about art and food. 


Matt Kirouac: What intrigued you about this concept and made you want to participate?

Hugh Amano: I'm into the concept because, like so many of my other projects, it is outside the typical food-related event. Events like this can teeter on being a bit contrived and esoteric, but with this one I get to work with artists I really do admire, and produce my own contribution to the event that is similar in theme and ethic to the artists' work, but not just in a "well they use a lot of circles in their work, so I made pancakes!" kind of way. I love teaching people about food and cooking, not only technically but also conveying how food matters -- why we should care about it and not just fetishize it. In conjunction with some of the themes of the artists' work, I'll be leading guests in a simple, brief tortellini demonstration in an effort to showcase the humble tortellini's ability to canvas and carry much more than meets the eye. Pasta is a great way to convey passion to people -- turning a mess of flour and eggs into silken sheets of pasta, then folding them around filling is a total turn-on for me. 


- Matt Kirouac

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