Lulú Versari
Panamá, 1995
Laura V. Molinares, artistic name being Lulú Versari, is an artist that discursively explores themes such as identity, body and subversion across their multidisciplinary practice, as well as the balance between the body, space and the tangible. During their university studies in Goldsmiths, University of London, they developed a deep affinity for sculpture and performance, which turned into the principal media across which they construct their own language and discourse surrounding the body and assemblages that make up links between the bodily and the matter (that which is vital, visceral, tangible); and the constants. As well as the various contexts that exist in relation to the body (the social, political, historical, personal, etc.)
RESIDENCY RESEARCH PROCESS
Lulú has been well aware of the current circumstances and limitations of the pandemic, which they have had to deal with. Therefore, they decided to give a spin to their laborious artisanal methods which include the construction of several clay containers for the tasting ritual to be activated through performance. These are complemented by four tasting wheels reinvented by them, serving as reference for a voiceover that accompanies an interactive animation found on their website as a temporary solution until the pandemic-related confinement is over.
– Adán Vallecillo –
Reconfiguring the Wheel – Explanation
After working and thinking about the edges that I should consider when reconfiguring the coffee tasting wheel, I made a wheel that reflects the colors and conditions required to have good coffee.
This idea of good coffee extends beyond its flavor. It also considers that which is usually seen reflected in the tasting (the work, precision, environmental conditions, etc.); what is involved in the process and not directly visible or tangible in the tasting (labor conditions, community, sustainability, equity, etc.); and the complicity of consumers’ demand for coffee (consistency, price, exclusivity, awareness, fair trade, etc.)
The hard work is revealed during the tasting of the coffee, where the flavors that will determine its place in the market are identified. Everything comes down to the tasting. A great rite. This rite should not only reflect the work or identify its future, the reconfiguration of the tasting must also reflect the complicity of the consumer.
The Rite of Coffee
Interactive 3D Model and Installation – Dimensions variable
2020
Welcome to the coffee ritual.
Designed for your ongoing search for good coffee. A rite, which involves a comprehensive tasting of soil, rain, cherries, and you.