L’édition 2010 du Belluard Bollwerk International : c’est déjà fini!

Il est vrai qu’il a effectivement pris fin samedi soir passé; mais il m’a fallut deux jours pour m’en remettre…. Tout comme Mister John, chef cuistot de son état, qui songeait sérieusement dimanche en fin de matinée, à s’en aller faire une retraite silencieuse d’une semaine. Mais ça ne sera pas pour tout de suite car demain déjà tu remets ça sous 4 vents avec un sanglier à la broche!! Courage à Jean et Arnaud..

Was this 2010 edition a success? There are different ways to take that question into consideration. Has the Bellu financially succeeded? I do not know the answer. Let’s ask Matthias about it, later. Was it an artistic success? The answer to that question depends on the opinion we - the audience - have made during the festival. The brilliant performance of Reggie Watts surely did help finishing the festivities on a very positive note, artistically speaking. Now, what about the human side of this edition? Was the Bellu, and more specifically the KITCHAIN, a social success? Well here, without hesitation, the answer is YES. Thanks to each and everyone who took part in the happenings of this original Art festival! 

N’en déplaise à Mister Y, le festival du Bellu ce n’est pas seulement un lieu où l’on vit l’art, mais c’est aussi un coin où l’on pratique un certain “art de vivre”. Le cadre idéal du quartier d’Alt avec son calme et ses arbres - que Couca à pu sauver de la coupe grâce à sa verve diplomatique - ainsi que le temps estival ont aidé à ce que l’ambiance reste animée au KITCHAIN durant toute la durée du festival. 

Pour un rapport détaillé des critiques concernant les performances artistiques, adressez vous directement aux spécialistes (ou à Y, si vous le connaissez); et pour que cet agréable “art de vivre” ait été possible ces quelques jours, soyez félicités braves gens! Artistes, collaboratrices et collaborateurs, public, flâneurs et passantes.. Brave a tutte e bravi a tutti!

 Benedetta y Antonio: la madre y o pai of the KITCHAIN project

Jean, docteur ès épices

Isabelle is on fire!

Arnaud, the charming chef

La Pau y…

..la Ale: Viva Chile mierda!

Helen, bosseuse et toujours souriante 

Mathias et Matthias: no sé de que estaban hablando pero parecia serio.

Benou l’inspiré

Philippe le philosophe

Michi le magicien

Basil (au premier plan), écoutant un habitant du quartier d’Alt qui apprécie le lieu

dj Mara aux platines

Que l’on s’en foot ou non, le cadre toute fois bien agréable…

Les MetM’S: trois petits Suisses floutés

Saluons la bonne prestation de Pénélope et Fernando

Performance innofficielle en parralèle: il était possible de faire un tour sur le tapis volant piloté par Philippe et Laurent afin de s’adonner à l’art du débat philosophique.

Sally, leader of the Belluard Festival team: Well done Sal!

Was isch das fürne blog?? C’est quoi c’bordel, on pige qued… What is REALLY going on in that kitchen???
I mean, i would like to make an official complaint… anonymously, of course… (But no! I am not the wanted person everyone is looking for through out the city) I am, let say Mister Y. And yes, I really am wondering what the hell is going on in that place? I can see pictures of different people cooking and having dinner but when I read the comments underneath the photos, I do not understand the relation. I believe that either the writer is a little too obsessed with football or (s)he is just a bit too mixed up in her/his head. Can anybody help me understand?
Ouais fraaaaaaaaanchement, c’est quoi ce binz? So kann es doch nicht weitergehen!! !!! Faut que quelqu’un nous explique! à nous tous (me, myself and I) j’veux dire… C’est quoi son délire à l’autre ? La coupe du monde, c’est fini ! Pour la Nati en tous cas, les autres on s’en f—-! Alors il faut qu’il arrête un peu son cirque de journaleux sportif à la noix de coco et ses élucubrations personnifiantes de robinet, passoir ou autre wok innanimé!  Faudrait voir pour écrire un peu plus au sujet de l’Art! l’Art avec un grand “A”, parce que c’est quand même de cela qu’il s’agit au Bollwerk Belluard International non? Versuchen Sie doch doch in Zukunft etwas mehr über Kunst zu schreiben als über Ihre Spaghetti-fussballspiele!!!

Herr Y

Ginette la kitchinette s’ennuie. Ginette aime la compagnie et pourtant elle est toute seule dans l’obscurité de la salle et se languit de l’absence de cuisiniers sur son échine,  car sa vie, elle la dédie toute entière à l’art culinaire! Elle aime qu’on râpe, coupe, lave, frotte et laisse mijoter des petits plats sur ses épaules… Mais malheureusement pour elle, personne ne vient ce lundi soir jouer les chefs cuistots et réchauffer les oreilles de Ginette la kichinette.

Gino, pour sa part, face à elle, fait le fier, car il est plus du genre solitaire. Lui, il préfère que personne ne vienne troubler son sommeille. Qu’à cela ne tienne, s’il s’agit de cuisine italienne, on peut toujours discuter. Car Gino est bien fier de ses origines transalpines et depuis l’élimination de la Squadra Azzura, il fait un peu la gueule. Mais si vous savez le caresser dans le sens de l’émail de son évier, il saura vous titiller les papilles grâce à ses delicieux fumets.

S

Gino

Ginette

Le match dimanche soir entre la Dufour family et le team Sisyphe se déroula sans anicroche sur la pelouse de l’ancien arsenal  : aucun carton jaune ne fut distribué. Se créant plusieurs occasions en première période, les Dufour réussirent à scorer les premiers avec un poulet sauté au sésame et aux légumes ; certains membres de l’équipe vinrent même narguer les cuisiniers du team Sisyphe après le goal, mais ces derniers ripostèrent vaillamment en égalisant en deuxième période avec un splendide plat de spaghetti bolognaise, placé juste sous la transversale. Bravo donc aux deux équipes pour leur sportivité et leur bonne humeur !

S

  Bonne collectivité de la part des Dufour (en début de partie, en tous cas…)

  Passe en profondeur pour la carotte, le joker du Sisyphe team

  gooooooooooal! une nouille à zéro

on sent ici toute la concentration et la détermination de la part du capitaine du Sisyphe team

   but de Célie sur passe de Benoît, un goal à l’espagnol (arrosé d’un petit Rioja)

A kitchen is strictly speaking a place where people go for food. But it is most importantly a localisation where we gather to socialise; a place where we express opinions and exchange ideas.  Where we can talk about the latest artistic shows or the ones to come: “wouaah, did you see what the Ivorian dancer could do with his body” / “yes but he was very much into the physical mastery of his body, whereas the German dancer seemed to have more of a sensitive kind of  relation with his body”… What a better environment to share opinions about artistic performances than at the Bolwerk Kitchain? We come here just to enjoy original organic food like Caroline, Nicolas and tiny Paul, but we also come here to criticise art or the Nati, to dance on the rhythm of some groovy beats, or even to create something of our own, like my friend Pedro who takes artistic close-up pictures with my camera.   

 So if you want to criticise artistic shows, cook you own food, have a drink, or something nice to eat, or even go for a dance; the Belluard Kitchain is the place to be.

S

tiens je crois que Fifi viens d’avoir une idée lumineuse…

dj Fett in action on the groovy Kitchain floor

photos: Pedro 

On Saturday, the two do-it-yourself kitchens were very busy with brave cooks who challenged the surprise menu. On one side, Benedetta was achieving a solo cooking performance for five people, while on the other side; all six male cooks were helping out. The one who had to clean the dishes even played his “Cendrillon” (Cinderella; en français dans le texte) role with professional resignation. Since the two kitchens had to share a few ingredients, the local guys had to practise their English and Spanish; and Benedetta had to communicate with sign language with who happened to be the human book she had borrowed earlier on! I think I am going to keep a few cooking spices to be used by both kitchens at the same time: it helps creating surprising connections.

 Thanks to Benedetta and Antonio – the conceivers of the Kitchain project – and their friends to have come to try the surprise menu!

S

Inauguration du grill avec toute une troupe de joyeux lurons venus fêter les 20 et onze ans d’un des leurs!!! Ce dernier,qui travaille au Kitchain, fut bien surpris de voir débarquer ses amis alors qu’il attendait une certaine “Marguerite Schriet”… Merci à Lili et Cuca pour la surprise! 

S

ready to grill: waiting for Marguerite…

family cooking

“attends, cht’explique comment on grille, mon gars”

Bruno, nerveux pour la Nati

La Belette et sa joyeuse énergie

Photo: Charlotte Walker

2010: off we go!

The festival’s opening took place yesterday in a sunny laid-back atmosphere. No wonder it was such an easygoing Ouverture, when you look at how nice and cozy the staff prepared the Kitchain site! The cooks served us a buffet -on a leafy rug and by candlelight (s’il vous plaît!)- with all sorts of delicious balls (tout pour la boulette!) so that we were all able to play our own little culinary football games - with the hands; for there was no cutlery allowed! (and we don’t want the yellow card out of the referee’s pocket, now do we?) A laid-back evening it surely was, also because the Bollwerk’s team leaders and staff are (quite) relaxed and very well prepared for this 2010 opus. So get set ready and go enjoy the festivities!

S

Iz assurent c’t’équipe!

Ze classy-leafy candlelight buffet

photos: Charlotte Walker

nice and iizi, gäu

When it’s time to close the KITCHAIN there are always some people (us included!) that seems they don’t want to leave! So, while the structure disappears some turquoise islands stay there a bit longer, gaining another dimension, till the time to say goodnight!

Friday evening, Olivier Darné, visual artist and urban beekeeper from Paris organised a really sweet workshop from 7 to 9 pm inside KITCHAIN. I arrived at 6 in order to see how it works. Olivier shows me the sticks he had prepared with honey discs on each sides laying on the blue table. They are lolipops for two people. A romantic atmosphere in the turquoise air of the kitchain lounge, the image of the famous spaghetti scene from Lady and the Tramp came in my mind… but as well attracting people from outisde to Olivier beehive. There, he’s making a degustation of different honeys where you can taste Fribourg, Olivier production from Paris and then flower sperm on strawberries. An erotic course on which you feel like a bee… or a queen!

Clara Ouchène

www.parti-poetique.org

The turquoise chain continues outside the Arsenal and in the middle of the people eating and chatting, you can suddenly see some smoke…don’t worry, it’s the KITCHAIN barbecue! As for the indoor cooking units you have at your disposal two cutting boards, a salad bowl, two knives and some of the basic ingredients – salt, pepper, olive oil, vinegar, onion and garlic - coal and a fire lighter box. Remember that in this KITCHAIN option you have access to water but you don’t have access to cooking plates, so we suggest a salad or grilled vegetables to garnish your barbecue!

We would like to dedicate the following post to the KITCHAIN-feel-like-home elements: the cooking units! The 2009 layout has two indoor cooking units, equipped with a sink and an electric double cooking plate and one outdoor version with a big grill. Let’s start with the indoor cooking units: when you arrive there with your basket full of ingredients you have at your disposal a wok, a medium pan, a colander, two cutting boards, a salad bowl, two knives, cookware and some of the basic ingredients – salt, pepper, olive oil, vinegar, onion, garlic, soya, curry, tomato sauce, harissa. Some notes to make your Do-it-yourself experience 100% efficient: be careful with the number of your guests (we suggest max. 8) and the preparation of the ingredients (you only have 2 plates). Only cold water available but sponge, soap and rubbish bin to wash and clean!

After a few hours of admittedly very relaxed cooking I will stop creating and start reporting. Here we are at Belluard/Bollwerk festival. I have the honour once more to accompany Wam Kat (activist and political chef extraordinnair) on his mission to make the world a better place with, guess what- cooking!
We met Benedetta and Antonio in November 08 when some of the “competitors” for the kitchen contest got invited to Fribourg to discuss our respective proposals. We had great conversations, white wine and cheese fondue. What can I say: Antonio and Benedetta made it and they did an amazing job. Functional and inviting the turquoise “kitchain” winds like a snake through the medieval structure of the Belluard and onto the street outside. Three individual cooking stations invite guests (who think they can do better then Wam or the chefs of the 4vent restaurant) to spoil their friends with self made dinner. Ingredients can be bought on site (to wholesale prices and good quality). A fine example of how successful design provides a social functionality. The “kitchain” was packed last night and I´m sure it will be packed again tonight.
Wam will give a talk later on on his work and I want to thank Belluard at this point for inviting us as special guests and to provide a plattform for some of our thoughts on cooking and politics. What exactly I mean by that can be found at other places on the web and of course in Wam´s book “24 Rezepte zur kulinarischen Weltverbesserung” available in German from orange-press. But then again just looking at “kitchain” these subjects become obvious really, don´t they.
It would be great if we could continue our many discussions on the subject later in a bit more public setting. For myself I´m sure that exploring cooking and kitchens practically, artistically and theoretically will be a journey I´m only at the beginning. These themes are, as we say in German, “noch lange nicht gegessen” (“far from being eaten up”). Now the room starts to fill with the most extraordninary aromas: Maite and his crew perpared pike in a crust of sea salt, Wam made couscous with vegetables (tested in political rallys - for thousands!) and right next to me some guests are frying something, that smells just…. well I´ll have to go and check it out! Enjoy your meals folks!
Stay hungry, Heiks

Heiko Fischer