Christine Lebel: Banana Split

Intervention

April 1^st – May 1^st, 2004

Project Description

The aroma of a home cooked meal is often associated with a feeling of comfort or safety. Inundating the environment, these odours can awaken pleasant memories, perhaps related to family events. For Christine Lebel, this comfort is associated with the banana cake recipe of her paternal grandmother.

In her project Banana Split, Lebel welcomes visitors into the small gallery at Skol and invites them to exchange their most symbolic recipe for her traditional cake recipe. During the encounter, visitors are encouraged to tell stories of events or explain memories associated with this comforting dish. As an addition to the hand-written recipe exchange, the artist will also give participants a miniature banana cake.

This project inscribes itself in the art practice commonly referred to as social exchange; a practice that links the idea of art with other areas of life, and focuses on the encounter between the artist and the public. Lebel’s position is one of active engagement in her community by questioning and activating the transmission of a living heritage.

Christine Lebel is waiting for you in her pseudo-kitchen on Friday the 9^th, 16^th, 23^rd, 30^th, and on Saturday the 3^rd, 10^th, 17^th, and 24^th of April 2004, between 2 pm and 5 pm.