Queen Caroline's Garden Party | with AVM Curiosities's 18th Century Ice-Cream Parlour | Kensington Palace, London | In collaboration with Jolly Nice Ice Cream | 21-23 August 2015. Photos: Paul Singer
PHOTOS: Ice Cream Workshops
7 pints of custard, 16kg of ice, and 5 tours of Kensington Palace later, and our series of 18th century ice cream workshops are complete! Here's a little taste of what we got up to, and a teaser of what to expect at the Georgian Festival this weekend!
18th Century Ice Cream Workshops (11-14 year olds) | Kensington Palace, London | 17 & 18 August 2015 | Group leaders; Tasha Marks (AVM Curiosities) & Sarah Philips (Historic Royal Palaces).
FREE ICE CREAM WORKSHOPS
Really pleased that the ice cream history workshops at Kensington Palace are now available to single sign-ups (previously it was groups only). If you know any 11-14 year olds that would be interested in learning more about 18th century ice cream, then there are still places available in the 11.00-12.30 & 4.00-5.30 sessions. We’ll be tasting unusual ingredients, handling antique moulds, exploring Queen Caroline’s rooms in the palace, and making ice cream the Georgian way, using ice and salt to freeze custard!
Participants will also get free entry (and a free ice cream for them and a friend) to Queen Caroline’s Garden Party the weekend after. If you know someone in this age bracket who would love to attend then please email Historic Royal Palace on [Kensingtonlearning@hrp.org.uk] to reserve your FREE place.
Also please pass around to any parents or school groups you know! Thank you!
Tasha (and the AVM team) x
EVENT: 18th Century Ice-Cream Parlour
This summer, Queen Caroline cordially invites families to join her for a garden party in the grounds of Kensington Palace. Don a powdered wig, perfect your best bows and curtseys, and enjoy an audience with the Queen, as the glittering Georgian Court takes to the palace gardens for a summer celebration of music, dancing, ice cream, and theatre.
The palace will be turned inside out for the weekend, as tents pop up in the beautiful ornamental gardens, each packed with special activities representing different aspects of court life. In the ‘Dressing Room’, dress to impress as one of Queen Caroline’s courtiers, try on costumes for size and sample the art of Georgian makeup; hear all the latest whispers from court in the ‘Queen’s Library’; get a Han-del on some eighteenth century tunes in the music tent; and discover the history of Georgian ice-cream in the 'Ice-House' with AVM Curiosities, sampling authentic 18th century flavours courtesy of Jolly Nice Ice Cream.
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Queen Caroline's Garden Party | with AVM Curiosities's 18th Century Ice-Cream Parlour | Kensington Palace, London W8 4PX | 21-23 August 2015 | 10am-5pm | Entry free with a ticket to Kensington Palace (Adults £17.50 / Children under 16 free).
PHOTOS: The Poetry of Toast
The Poetry of Toast | Barbican Art Gallery | 19 July 2015
Photos © Amandine Alessandra courtesy of DesignMarketo
More Poetry of Toast
Only two days to go until The Poetry of Toast at the Barbican! Entry to the toast workshops are free but you must have a ticket to the Station to Station exhibition to enter.
Alongside a range of historical, toast related objects there will be a series of laser cut stencils to decorate your toast with quotes from literary history...
Though we eat little flesh and drink no wine,
Yet let's be merry; we'll have tea and toast;
Custards for supper, and an endless host
Of syllabubs and jellies and mincepies,
And other such ladylike luxuries.
- Percy Bysshe Shelley
The Poetry of Toasts runs from 12.30-2.30pm on Sunday the 19th of July, however the exhibition is open all day with "happenings" from Marcus Coates, Olafur Eliasson, and Jeremy Deller. For more info and to buy tickets please click here.
The Poetry of Toast | Part of the DesignMarketo residency at Doug Aitken's Station to Station at the Barbican | Barbican Art Gallery, Silk St, London EC2Y 8DS | Sunday July 19th 12.30-2.30pm.
Photos: Tasha Marks
The Poetry of Toast
From Edward Lear to Alice in Wonderland, the nostalgic appeal of hot buttered toast is referenced in literature throughout the ages. For many, the smell of toast is one of the most comforting and homely aromas we can imagine.
On July 19th, join AVM Curiosities for the Poetry of Toast, part of the DesignMarketo residency at Station to Station at the Barbican, where the literary, olfactory and nostalgic powers of toast will be explored…
The Poetry of Toast | part of Design Marketo: Grains of Thought at Doug Aitken's Station to Station | Barbican Art Gallery, Silk St, London EC2Y 8DS | Sunday July 19th 12.30-2.30pm.
Art Car Boot Fair, London
Pleased to announce that AVM Curiosities will be showing with Herrick Gallery at the Art Car Boot Fair this year! If you haven't been to this event before, it's a great day out, here's what to expect in their own words...
'For 2015 we’re packing even more into our fabulous Brick Lane car park with over 80 artists, amazing new art commissions on CAR BONNETS, astonishing art bargains just for the day and some amazing performances! Anyone with a few quid in their pocket can become a collector for the afternoon, and there’s so much to do and see besides! The wonderful spirit of the Art Car Boot Fair gets a fresh injection of talent every year and all artists are hand picked to let their hair down and flog their fabulous art from their car boots! You’d be hard pushed to beat it! Over 70 pitches, with Gavin Turk, Sir Peter Blake, Marcus Harvey & Turps Banana, Bob & Roberta Smith, Polly Morgan, Mat Collishaw Billy Childish, Jessica Voorsanger, Pure Evil, Ian Dawson, Le Gun, David David, the Bethnal Greeen Working Men’s Club and so many more!'
Art Car Boot Fair, Brick Lane, London | Sunday 14th June 2015, 12-6pm | For more information please visit the website...
Art Yard Sale, Brighton
Look out for AVM Curiosities at the ArtRepublic Art Yard Sale in Brighton this Sunday, May 31st. We'll be selling limited edition runs of Sweet Tooth (hard-carved sugar teeth), Cherry and Rose flavour Edible Bubbles, Spice Prints and sugar sculptures. The fair opens at 11am in Jubilee Square and finishes at 5pm. Hope to see you there!
The Art of Spice
Here’s a sneaky peek at the first batch of spice prints for Aromatic Art at the Southbank Centre. Kashmiri Chilli Powder and Dried Lime in case you were wondering….
Aromatic Art: The Spice Print Edition | World of Zing Bar & Gallery, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London SE1 8XX | 15-25 May 2015 (12pm-9pm) | Free Entry.
The Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets
The tag line to AVM Curiosities has always been ‘a mixture of the silly and cerebral’ so following the edible bubble event (which was more on the silly side) it’s lovely to announce that ’The Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets’ is now available as a Kindle version, and then in Hardback from June 2015. Alongside eminent food historians such as Ivan Day, Laura Mason and Sidney Mintz there is also an introduction to Mrs Beeton by Tasha Marks (aka AVM Curiosities)!
Sweets have a special hold on our senses. Whether it’s taffy or turnovers, sandesh or sherbet, maple sugar or macarons, our enjoyment of sweets is informed by traditions and memories. This encyclopedia explores sweet things globally and across time, from the honeycombs our ancestors gathered to the crackly nougatine of today’s experimental chefs. But its greatest achievement is that, in over 900 intellectually nourishing pages, it never neglects the senses. Like the medieval subtleties that entertained royal diners with elaborate conceits, this book is playful, surprising, and always-captivating.
(Heston Blumenthal)
Obsidian Air Soundtrack
Gazelle Twin - Photo: Joe Tumner
Really pleased to announce that to accompany tonight's Obsidian Air event at the V&A, the amazingly talented Gazelle Twin has provided us with a soundtrack. Expect ominous and magical audio in equal measure...
TRACK LIST:
Tachikawa - Yasuaki Shimizu
1981 Yamaha CS70M - Benge
(water) - Aphex Twin
Birds of Tin - Bill Nelson
20 Jazz Funk Greats - Throbbing Gristle
Chemistry - Jon Hassell
MERSH - Dean Blunt
White Cluster - CVLTS
GAS II - GAS
Belly of the Beast (Tom Demac Remix) - Gazelle Twin/Tom Demac
Left Half- Katie Gately
In The Air I - Tim Hecker
Happy Now - Great Pagans (Bernholz Remix)
Untitled - Bernholz
Boutique Joy - Yasuaki Shimizu
1985 Yamaha CX5m - Benge
Gazelle Twin
UPCOMING: Obsidian Air
‘Fashion is a big bubble, and sometimes I feel like popping it.’
- Alexander McQueen
As part of the Alexander McQueen Friday Late at the V&A, AVM Curiosities present London’s first completely edible bubbles. The interactive installation takes a murky black liquid, and transforms it into beautiful orbs of light. The tension between beauty and the grotesque is explored as the black bubbles float freely around the space only to be ravenously consumed by the viewer.
In celebration of McQueen’s legacy the piece is both silly and cerebral: a comment on the dark undercurrents of his life and work, and yet also, more poignantly, a proclamation of creativity, nostalgia and fun.
Obsidian Air by AVM Curiosities | Spectacle of the Species: Friday Late | Victoria & Albert Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 2RL | 27th March 2015 | 6.30-10pm | FREE ENTRY.
CATALOGUE: The Future is Not What it Used To Be
The Future is Not What it Used To Be, published in conjunction with the 2014 Istanbul Design Biennial, essays by Zoe Ryan and Meredith Carruthers.
Photos: Basquiat Supperclub
The Artist Dining Room: Basquiat | Friday 5th December 2014 | Commissioned by Guest Projects | Menu created and produced by AVM Curiosities.
Recipe: Hippocras (Spiced Wine Cocktail)
AVM Curiosities’ Hippocras is a contemporary twist on an Ancient Egyptian spiced wine. Perfect for festive feasts when you fancy something both warming and refreshing. Originally intended as a digestive after the main meal, this modern version can be drunk anytime, but goes particularly well with dessert.
Recipe:
- 1 part Whisky (25ml)
- 1 part Hippocras Syrup (25ml)
- Top with Ginger Ale
- Serve on ice, in a small wine glass
- Garnish with a cinnamon stick
How to make the Hippocras Syrup:
To a pan add - 50ml Red Wine, 50ml Water, 50g Caster Sugar, 1tsp Cinnamon, 1tsp Ground Cloves, 1tsp Nutmeg, 1tsp Lavender Buds, 2 Crushed Cardamom Pods and heat slowly until the sugar has dissolved and the liquid is simmering. Strain the liquid through a fine sieve and leave to cool.
Festive recipe by Tasha Marks of AVM Curiosities | Photos © Diageo Reserve WORLD CLASS™
Menu - The Artist Dining Room: Basquiat
Campbell’s Black Bean Soup (Photo: Elena Sandrone)
Pen Patat (Photo: Bakul Patki)
Press Release: This Sea of Sugar Knows No Bounds
Drawing on the flavours of both Istanbul and England, the installation by Tasha Marks of AVM Curiosities fuses the history of sugar with contemporary Turkish craftsmanship. The inspiration for the installation refers to a quote by Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi; ‘This sea of sugar knows no shore, no boundary’. Rumi was a 13th-century Persian poet, theologian, and mystic whose teachings are considered to transcend national and ethnic borders, from Iran to America and beyond.
One of the 15th century style confectionary molds and castings used in the work – Photo: Tasha Marks
Through on-site and historical research on the use of sugar in Turkey and England, Marks has created an installation for the Biennial that challenges perceptions of this contentious foodstuff. Created in collaboration with Turkish craftspeople, the installation is reminiscent of food architectures created for fifteenth century “banquets,” which were feasts for the eyes as much as the stomachs, reserved for society’s elite at which a select few attendees would consume lavish displays of rare delicacies, and where stunning molded sugar centerpieces were the primary visual attraction. In her installation, Marks transports us back into this environment with “a sensory experience that is both aesthetic and culturally symbolic.”
This Sea of Sugar Knows No Bounds (detail) – Photo: Tasha Marks
In combining the forgotten art of sugar sculpture with traditional Turkish mold making and carpentry, AVM Curiosities’ sweet manifesto challenges our perceptions of the edible world around us, engaging our intellects and senses in a new consideration of food culture. In keeping with the spiritual nature of the source, the work will have an almost altar like quality to it, with the sugar patterns radiating like waves and rosewater scented air being a reference to ritual purification, and the scent’s association with the prophet Muhammad. Through sugar as a universal medium, the aim of the work is to combine the traditions of the past and the rituals of different cultures to create an experience that takes an everyday material and makes it extraordinary.
This Sea of Sugar Knows No Bounds – Photo: Tasha Marks
This Sea of Sugar Knows No Bounds is at the Galata Greek School, Kemeralti, Cad No. 49, 34425 Galata, Beyoglu, Istanbul from 1 November – 14 December 2014. Click here for more information on the Biennial.