Page 40 - ALG Issue 2 2018 html

Artist Corner
Vavilovs Last Supper and
the Return of Memory
A meatless feast for
Sochevny (Christmas
Eve supper)
In spring 2017, HOME, an important Manchester venue for film, international contemporary art and theatre, approached the Association of Manchester Allotment Societies (AMAS) inviting Manchester allotments and students at Hopwood Hall Horticultural College to take part in The Return of Memory.
This was an examination of Russia’s revolutionary times including a project on St Petersburg’s Vavilov Research Institute of Plant Industry – one of the world’s largest seed banks – by artist, Callum Cooper. As part of this, it was hoped that seeds from St Petersburg would be sown on Manchester allotments and the food grown used, in January 2018, for a Russian meal created by chef Mary-Ellen McTague who has a track record in sourcing local foods (she has plans to open in Chorlton this year).
Going to an AMAS meeting last September I met Alice Wilde
from HOME, who updated her spring visit to AMAS when she had originally offered seeds to us. She had some seeds with her so I took some St. Petersburg turnip and cabbage seeds away with me to share. Later some cabbage and turnip seedlings were passed from HOME to be grown on by some of us.
Six of us also took up the offer for HOME’s commissioned photographer, Mario Popham, to come to Ivygreen and take photographs for the exhibition. We met Mario at the site a little ahead of sunset, just before the midges efficiently moved in. It was an opportunity to bring together members who normally see little of one another and to show our work. These photographs became part of the exhibition; Mario generously subsequently sent on to us high- resolution images of our photographs as mementos.
On Twelfth Night, most of us met up for HOME’s celebratory meal where the chef, Mary-Ellen, introduced each dish, referencing
Vavilov Dinner- Ivygreen allotments crown prince squash
• Sochivo grains, our own honey, poppy seeds, dried fruit and nuts
• Pagach, bread stuffed with potato, served with our honey and grated garlic,
• Aubergine caviar
• Pickled cabbage
• Pickled mushrooms
• Pirozki, fried dumplings with sauerkraut
• Yevgenyia’s cabbage leaves, to share with a friend
• Cabbage borscht, cabbage noodles, parsley
• Home-grown Crown Prince squash stew
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Mary-Ellen introducing dinners
Members of ivygreen allotments
Russian food for Twelfth Night - the Russian Christmas Eve. There was a speaker from the Institute, plus a Skype from Callum, the artist, who had spent eleven hours in snow-bound NYC trying unsuccessfully to get a flight to join us.
It was enjoyable to have another opportunity to come together, to share a unique meal. It will surely remain a memory of interesting Twelfth Nights past and future.
Maggie Mackay.
A member of Ivygreen Allotments Society, Manchester
Photo credits Mario Popham
This exhibition has now closed but you can see some information about it here https://homemcr.org/media/explore-return-memory/
Mary-Ellen McTague cutting cabbage