MISE EN PLACE

"Mise en place" was among 100 titles available for interpretation by artists participating in Edition 4 of BookArtObject. Borrowing from the ubiquitous measuring cups/spoons that are stacked when not in use, I created four gradated "nets" that are ultimately meant to be folded into cubes that can nest within each other; this required folding/assembly on the part of the recipient/reader mimics the act of mise en place.

The title was an easy choice for me; I am fascinated by the role that food—and, in the context of this project, its preparation—plays in our daily lives, and find that the line between the studio and the kitchen has definitely begun to blur. The kitchen can be such a creative space; even the most basic ingredients present countless possibilities, and I enjoy the challenge of using what’s on hand to design a meal. I didn’t always appreciate the point of doing mise en place, but discovered that it actually allows more freedom during the cooking process; when my hands are busy, somehow my mind is freer. Many a studio dilemma has been solved while chopping onions...

As I explored ways to convey the concept of “mise en place” I made a point of noticing what happened each time I went into the kitchen…the thoughts floating through my head as I prepared meals, the aesthetics of the experience—how the process engaged my senses. Through observing the qualities of the ingredients, tools and containers, the content began to reflect my direct experience of doing the mise en place for our meals.

More background on this project can be found in blog posts here & here.