Temple of Taste
and Remembrance

sacra performances often involve consumption as a means to sustain and/or transform; we are now particularly interested in the notion of the consumable as a metaphor for memory. For example, a great meal is a visceral, intimate experience that eludes description. It emerges through a series of active, inter-connected systems: planting, growing, hunting, harvesting. It is prepared… consumed… and gone within a matter of minutes. Though the acts of production and preparation can be documented and shared through manuals and recipes, the emotions and pleasures associated with consumption too often remain trapped within the individual. sacra seeks to release, record, and archive the fleeting moments that comprise the subjective experience of eating within The Temple of Taste and Remembrance.

In 2016, Biome Arts asked us to present The Temple of Taste and Remembrance aboard Swale, a one-of-a-kind floating food forest built atop a barge that travels to piers in New York City. sacra invited participants to draw and describe their experience of tasting the various plants aboard.