Practices of care
‘Practices of care’ is a performative presentation showing the different practices of care that we have been embodying and researching. These resulted in learning and unlearning our relations within ourselves and our surroundings. (How) do you care?
Installation - Parel Strik and Clara Harmssen together with Latoyah Burlace and Senna Gebbink
Practices of care was part of the group show: Creating connections and rethinking surroundings - De Wasserij (Rotterdam)
Reciprocity means a mutual exchange between two or more entities.
We created rituals for a reciprocity feeling. We got introduced to the concept of reciprocity through the book 'Braiding Sweetgrass' from Robin Wall Kimmerer.
These rituals were for example tea ceremonies on the rooftop, mutual walks while foraging together, organizing a dinner where you bring your ingredient as your guest.
Although these rituals were really touching, they didn't work out since it felt performative and not personal enough. We came to the conclusion that you can not instruct someone else in how they experience and embody reciprocity.
A condition of reciprocity is to care.
This resulted in creating a tool for caring, that you can wear to create your own recipe of reciprocity. This tool is a household dish towel which transforms into an interchangeable apron to wear in your moments of care.
Will you harvest with it? Will you cook with it? Will you share meals with it?
Each of us have individual ways of showing care and creating rituals. These personal ways of caring, our care labels, are embroidered on the inside of the apron, only for yourself to read.
Once wrapped up, the caring bag has a limited space, only fit to carry what you need. Carry it close to your body. This extended nurturing creates relations with the ingredients that you collected.
A digital print of the instruction manual for the recipe of reciprocity