Azabudai Hills Gallery, operated by Mori Building Co., Ltd., will begin selling tickets to its inaugural exhibition, Olafur Eliasson: A harmonious cycle of interconnected nows, on Thursday, October 19, at 12:00. Also, THE KITCHEN, a collaboration between Studio Olafur Eliasson Kitchen (SOE Kitchen) and Azabudai Hills Gallery Cafe on the occasion of the exhibition, opens on Friday, November 24. Visitors are invited to use their five senses to take part in SOE Kitchen's experimental, research-led approach topics including fermentation, food responsibility, and sustainability.
Visit "THE KITCHEN", a collaboration between Azabudai Hills Gallery and SOE Kitchen
Sustainability through art and food
Alongside the exhibition Olafur Eliasson: A harmonious cycle of interconnected nows, Azabudai Hills Gallery will open THE KITCHEN, a cafe restaurant created in collaboration with SOE Kitchen.
THE KITCHEN project started in full swing when SOE Kitchen proposed that the Azabudai Hills Gallery Cafe team send a chef from Japan to Berlin. When we take a close look at the concept of "eating", we realize there is a lot of "common practice" which is overburdened. For example, Japan relies on importing many ingredients by air such as oil, cheese, flour and wine. Japan's high dependency on air transportation is a major sustainability issue. On the occasion of their collaboration with SOE Kitchen, Azabudai Hills Gallery team have made it one of their aims to reduce CO2 emissions. The chef, searching for a novel approach, proposed to prepare dishes using a Japanese indigenous fungus, "koji." This led to the creation of a menu featuring unique dishes made with domestic ingredients to reduce the environmental impact.
While working on the proposed menu in Berlin, the chef had a memorable conversation with Eliasson that touched upon subjects including "the compassion," and sympathy dialogue through gastronomy:
"Empathy and compassion are critical in all human relations. Cooking for others is an act of hospitality, of caring for others. And eating together also entails a sense of trust. It is crucial to be considerate of your guests with openness and generosity."
SOE Kitchen's philosophy can not only be experienced through eating, guests can learn more about the world around them. This is also connected to the essential concept of the Azabudai Hills.
