Origin of LOS ANGELES Toilet the project began in 2019 “in the middle of the Trump presidency, when things looked incredibly bleak,” said Adam Silverman. Hyperallergic. The Los Angeles-based potter often incorporates notions of place into his practice, and was interested in “thinking about the country as one place in a turbulent time,” rather than highlighting ideological and regional differences across the United States.
With the help of friends and colleagues across the country, Silverman collected clay, wood ash and water from all 50 states, five US territories (Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands). and Washington DC, for a total of 56 different locations. He then combined these elements into a uniform mixture, which he used to glaze a modest set of 56 ceramic plates, 56 bowls, and 56 glasses. for use in some simple meals. He explained that he saw the events as an opportunity to “have challenging conversations with people, not just a groovy dinner.” Along with this tableware, he created 56 ceremonial vessels that embodied the essence of what was to come. Toilet. “If this project is about being open to new opinions and ideas from others, the piece should be open,” he said. “The ears must be like ears, as these things are for hearing. Everything is very literal.”
In the summer of 2020, Barton food researcher Scott Alves was asked to collaborate on the project. “We started doing all this really interesting research, mapping out different themes that we thought were important historically and contemporary, making overlaps and finding places where there was a lot of convergence,” Silverman explains. said Barton Hyperallergic“The real land for me Toilet It was a choice of all the different communities we could participate in.”
The pair applied for grants to bring the project to theaters across the country, and all were turned down. Undeterred, they decided to go their own way Spring 2022, garage band style, driving ceramic pots from city to city and washing dishes by hand after meals.
The tour began with a lunch at the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center in Los Angeles, leading to nine additional meals between the coasts over the next two years. Each meal was unique, with different menus, chefs, participants and topics of conversation. A particularly memorable event for Barton was at the Earvin “Magic” Johnson Recreation Area in Watts in South Los Angeles in September 2022. “It was attended by Watts architects, urban planners, community leaders and religious leaders who are interested in improving their community, but don’t want outsiders to gentrify it, [as well as representatives from] LACMA wants to be stronger in that community,” he said. “I think, at least at that point, people were open to listening and talking.”
At the beginning of this year, Toilet the exhibition opened at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, where it will be on display until January 5, 2025, displaying all 224 vessels in a cabinet designed by Kulapat Yantrasast, Bob Dornberger and Shinsuke Ito. Skirball also acquired the work for his permanent collection. Of course, the show began with a luncheon, co-hosted by Skirball Vice President of Public Programs Marlene Braga and Senior Programs Associate Julie Gumpert. The menu features dishes made by the organization’s employees who have been working there for more than 15 years, “using the project to look inside,” said Silverman. Each reflected family memories, diasporic identities, and migration stories from Mexico and Central America: a plate of fish from Belize and Honduras, enchiladas from Guatemala, one. Bread pudding from El Salvador, and a cocktail inspired by a torta from the specific region of Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico.
For exhibition curator Vicki Phung Smith, collaboration with guests is a key element Toilet. “You make a plan and create an invitation, but so much is out of your control,” she said Hyperallergic. “The project is very generous and non-hierarchical. The participants make the experience what it is.’
Skirball CEO Jessie Kornberg explained that the project also reflected the organization’s focus on exploring the breadth of the Jewish experience through art and culture. “For me, symbolism Toilet It was perfect for the Skirball, where we want to celebrate what it has meant for generations of Jews to join a pluralistic American society,” he said. Hyperallergic by e-mail
Participating food programs will continue throughout the year, with the next being an Easter-inspired meal on April 14, which will expand beyond the confines of the 56 venues to welcome more than 200 guests, followed by a sound performance using ceremonial pots and incorporating natural pigments. children’s art workshop Barton added that they would like to host meals around more topics in the future, including homelessness in Los Angeles, urban gardening and foraging, saving indigenous seeds for Thanksgiving and a meal to coincide with the November presidential election.
Given America’s fractured and divisive climate, which will likely worsen as election day approaches, no Toilet do they really encourage us to, well, find common ground? For Silverman and Barton, the project does not offer definitive solutions, but a way to start difficult but crucial conversations. “When people come to the table and you discuss the metaphor of the project, and it’s in your hands, and you can see it and touch it… and the food that’s served has a narrative that’s equally appealing and eye-opening and flavorful. opening up, it softens you, it opens you up a little bit,” Silverman said. “They don’t hit you over the head with an agenda like, ‘We’re going to fix this problem.’
“Adam has adapted beautifully,” added Barton. “There’s a grace note that happens when you bring people to the table that never ceases to amaze me.”
