Come armed with conversation and an empty stomach. The Long Lunch is a conversation series between independent artists. Over a shared meal, participants meditate on their place within old and new spaces, in response to the themes of place and displacement.
Jamie Lewis, is a Melbourne based artist whose works sits not quite within the realms of theatre. Her practice is instead based around both the conversation and the culinary. Many in Melbourne where introduced to this creative powerhouse through Salt Water- an intimate work that was presented at Theatre Works back in 2015. This month, she is presenting The Long Lunch at Arts House, TAGG spoke with Jamie about the event, her creative practice, food and the power of conversation.
Tell us about your background, where you have been, and where do you hope to be in the next few years?
I was born and raised in Singapore. I have lived in Melbourne and Brisbane, and am increasingly drawn to Darwin. I travel a lot between these places and more for my projects, and as a partner to another artist – get to visit him in interesting places when he is on tour. And of course back to Singapore to see my family.
I am actually finding it hard to see where exactly I’ll be in the next few years in terms of a physical location. This year, we packed up the house and I’ve been nomadic – splitting my time between Melbourne, Darwin, and Berlin. And I think it’s really opened up the idea of a base.
Artistically though, I am having a very fruitful year. And I hope this momentum rolls over into the next few years.
Your practice is very much based around food, why have you chosen this is as a medium, how does it interact with theatre?
I’d say that my practice is very much based around conversation and stories – and food continues to be a most rich vehicle for that. It is about the gathering around the table, the sharing of the meal, and the exchange of thoughts, ideas, and stories.
I think it no longer worries me if it is (or not) theatre – but that it was something that was interesting in my practice back then and I went with it.
Now that I have been working with food for almost 5 years – I am still invigorated by the richness of it as a part of my work – in food contains cultural memory, social politics, and future thinking when we ask questions like: where does the food we eat come from? What are the cultural stories, the family traditions, the rituals of eating together? Who gets to eat? What does food security mean?
I also work with homestyle cooking specifically – cooking meals that come from my cultural memory and family traditions. And these are recipes that are constantly adapted and refined, always changing with the person who prepares it. This process of cooking has also been a way for me to view life – our adaptability, resilience, our growth.
What are some of the most powerful conversations that have been shared with you over a meal?
I couldn’t name you a specific conversation in terms of the performances. Every table has been so different because it is made up of a different group of people each time. But I am always heartened at the level of intimacy a group of strangers can so quickly find with each other at times.
At home – I think the most powerful conversations are often the ones that are the most silent.
Why does the world need art?
Mmm, the world needs a lot of things. Art is a part of the world. And I think it’s a lens to view the world from, to view ourselves and our place in the world – a way to think and process and speak about things.
For more info or to book your seat to The Long Lunch click here
