Cooking in Maximum Security has been presented in various of places and contexts, triggering a wide range of discussions with professionals from different disciplines.
Cagliari, October 2015Cagliari Capital of Italian Culture 2015 Matteo Guidi held a workshop-talk, in collaboration with the artist Giuliana Racco, within the framework of Passavamo sulla storia leggeri, a cycle of events curated by Antonia Alampi and Jens Maier-Rothe, taking place at the Cagliari Museum of Modern Art as part of Cagliari Capital of Italian Culture 2015. On this occasion, Guidi presented the general CMS project and also presented CMS phase 2 for the first time.
Barcelona, May 2015Matteo Guidi held a discussion with Jesús-Angel Prieto,professor of Escola Massana, during the Ús Festival. The debate began with a presentation of Guidi’s Anthropology Degree thesis (Special Effects: photography within life inprisonement, 2011, unpublished).
Bologna, April 2015Within the framework of Fuori e dentro: un altro sguardo sul carcere (Outside and In: Another Look at Prisons), Matteo Guidi presented Gazmend Kullau’s book La dolce evasione: ricette dal carcere (The Sweet Escape: Recipes from Prison). The discussion between Guidi and Kullau (inmate of Bologna penitentiary) hinged on kitchen practices in Italian prisons cells and gender issues.
Barcelona, March 2015Department of Justice of the Government of Catalunya Matteo Guidi was invited to present his research carried out in Italian penitentiaries within the framework of VIII JORNADA DE MONITORS ARTÍSTICS DE CENTRES PENITENCIARIS (DAY OF ARTISTIC EDUCATORS WORKING WITHIN PRISONS) in the Center for Juridical Studies and Specialized Training of the Generalitat of Catalunya (Catalunya Government). The talk was held for a specialized public (people running applied arts workshops in Catalan prisons).
Barcelona, January 2015Matteo Guidi was Espai Nyam Nyam’s (Barcelona) invited researcher for the month of January. In collaboration with the Nyam Nyam staff, Guidi developed a project with a group of inmates of Wad-Ras female penitentiary. Every Tuesday he met the group inside their applied arts workshop and together they speculated on issues connected to food-restrictions and desire. The results of the work in progress were presented every Thursday at Nyam Nyam’s space.
Barcelona, November 2014Escola Massana (Barcelona’s municipal Art and Design centre). Matteo Guidi was invited to speak with a group of students from the Theory of Context course, taught by Montserrat Romaní Draper and Antonio Ortega López, within the Visual Arts department of the Escola Massana.
Bologna, September 2014Galleria Più – with Fabrizio Lollini (Assistant Professor of Medieval Art History). On the occasion of Artelibro –Art History and Book Festival–, Galleria Più hosted the tenth phase of the CMS itinerant exhibition. Matteo Guidi was present and spoke together with Fabrizio Lollini (researcher of Medieval Art History in the Department of Visual Arts, University of Bologna).Barcelona, June 2014Espai Capra – with Rolando d’Alessandro (writer and activist). D’Alessandro’s fascinating introduction led the public into the world of Italian prisons. Detained over thirty years ago, he provided the event with the significant perspective of lived experience. Matteo Guidi followed, presenting his research and comparing Italian, Catalan and Spanish prison realities with d’Alessandro and the public, maintaining the focus on the basicand fundamental theme of food and the social relationships connected to culinary practices.
University of Barcelona – XXI JORNADAS DOCTORALES Y DE INVESTIGACION DEL ODELA (Observatorio de la alimentaciò). Matteo Guidi participated in the two days of discussions at ODELA, presenting CMS work to a group of researchers, mainly anthropologists and nutritionists, expressing his search for partners, supporters and researchers for the continuation of the investigation in Spain and/or other countries.
Merano, April 2014Ost West club Est Ovest – with Aldo Mazza (director of a publishing house and a language training center operating in Bolzano Penitentiary), Markus Lobis (expert in social communication), Nicolò Degiorgis (photographer) and Martina Dandolo (designer and curator of the Cooking in Maximum Security project in Merano). An important moment of the Merano discussion was centred on activities developed in Italian penitentiaries and their significance for inmates, and not only. The speakers presented their work experiences in Bolzano Penitentiary, giving rise to a debate with the audience composed, in part, of former prisoners. The talk also hinged on another aspect, directly impacting not only on inmates but society in general, that is, security policies.
Milan, December 201328 Posti Restaurant – with the restaurants sous-chefs from Bollate Penitentiary. Matteo Guidi presented his research in a Milanese restaurant with a kitchen staff comprised of inmates from nearby Bollate Penitentiary. The discussion focused on the use of culinary practices as a tool for identity construction as well as how preparing one’s own food can be fundamental in the process of transforming a subject from passive to active.
Bologna, November 2013Montagnola Park Auditorium – with Pina Lalli (Professor of Sociology of Communication). Was discussing about the stereotype of prisoner and the concept of person passing throw the role of the food in the construction of identies. Also there where present an ex prisoner that worked for years in the kitchen of the penitentiary of Bologna cooking for prisoners. He remarked the importance of the role of the kitchen practices in the cells and his personal relationship with the role of the chef in the prison.
Bologna, November 2013University of Bologna. Invited by Sofia Venturoli (anthropologist), Matteo Guidi presented the research to a group of Venturoli’s students in the Master of History and Culture of Food.
Venice, October 2013S.a.L.E. Docks, Former Salt Warehouse – with Marco Rigamo (Global Project Editor), Giulia Girardello (Independent Curator), moderated by Marco Baravalle (Activist with Sale Docks). The group spoke about everyday life in prison and the relevance of the own food in the way to conserve a dignity and re-contruct a personal identity. Also the discuss about the concept of asylum at long term far from personal entourage.
Maiano, October 2013Maiano Maximum Security Penitentiary. Situated at the heart of his investigation, Matteo Guidi met with the group of inmates with whom he had worked over the past three years. They spoke of their interaction with family members and other inmates, from the perspective of kitchen practices, and tried to better understand what they had begun three years earlier.
Rovereto, September 2013The Hub – with Gino Gianuizzi (Independent Curator and professor in the academy of fine arts of Bologna). Continuing the discussion begun of Riva del Garda, Matteo Guidi and Gino Gianuizzi debated the theme of relational art in prison contexts.
Riva del Garda, September 2013XI Workshop on Social Enterprise – with Giuliana Racco (Artist) and Gino Gianuizzi (Independent Curator and professor in the academy of fine arts of Bologna). In this context, the discussion hinged on the value of relationships (theme of the workshop) and how cooking in prison is a relational process that involves family groups and other inmates, interpreting Cooking in Maximum Security as a relational art project.
Pitigliano, September 2013Resistance Literature Festival – with Francesca De Carolis (Journalist and Writer), Marcello Baraghini (Publisher and Editorial Director of Stampa Alternativa, Cucinare in Massima Sicurezza’s publishing house) and Letizia Nuciotti (Writer and Chef). Amid the spectacular setting of the old city of Pitigliano, the group focused on literature produced in prison and other forms of resistance, including cooking. During the presentation, Letizia Nuciotti spoke of her latest book on disability as a form of detention, while preparing the recipe for Frittelle alla Sughera using the same tools and methods described in the book.
Mamoiada, September 2013Saints Cosmos and Damian Sanctuary – with Don Francesco Mariani (Priest and Sociologist), coordinated by Michele Tatti (Journalist). In the heart of the Sardegna Mountains, Matteo Guidi and Francesco Mariani dealt with themes of qualitative time in life sentence detention and eating self-produced food as a form of resistance, at par with the practice of studying. The speach was organized from the family of one of the prisoners invloved in the project. They organized also a free big dinner based on shhep meat and shhep chese from their own farm.
Köln, August 2013Akademie der Kunste der Welt – with Giuliana Racco (Artist) and Alessandro Petti – Sandi Hilal (Architect and Urbanist co-founders of DAAR). Within the framework of ParaDies+AkademieFried, Matteo Guidi described the research methodology, how the book was conceived and developed, which elements emerged, such as family relationships (connected to food), and the re-activation of processes of self-construction. During the presentation, Matteo Guidi, along with members of the public, collectively cooked the pasta al pesto recipe using the same tools and methods described in his book.
Naples, July 2013Semmai Factory Contemporary Art space – with Stefano Taccone (Art Critic and Curator) and Vincenzo Estremo (Art Writer and Curator). Vincenzo Estremo introduce de debate and Stefano Taccone spoke about… The conversation moved around the social and political role of artist and.
Rome (I), July 2013Pastificio Cerere Foundation – with Francesca De Carolis (Journalist and Writer), Marcello Baraghini (Publisher and Editorial Director of Stampa Alternativa the publishing house of Cucinare in Massima Sicurezza ), Paola Gianelli (Psychologist), Gino Gianuizzi (Independent Curator). The main theme was literature produced within prison and outsider art.
Bollate, June 2013The research was presented to a group of 20 male and 6 female inmates. The debates was centred on the differences of culinary practices between female and male prisoners and the maintenance of family relationships.
Turin, June 2013Trebisonda bookshop – with Milena Prisco (Lawyer). The center of the discussion was about question of security in prison context.
Milan, June 2013Literature Festival – with Francesca De Carolis (Journalist and Writer), Mirko Mazzali (Lawyer), Nadia Bizzotto (Prison Volunteer), Franco Bomprezzi (Journalist). The group spoke about life sentence imprisonment in Italy and public opinion concerning this issue.
Florence, May 2013Il Vivaio del Malcantone Centre for Research in Cultural Practices – with Pietro Gaglianò (Curator) and Francesca Zannoni (Vegan Chef). The presentation focused on kitchen practices in prison cells. During the presentation, Francesca Zannoni prepared two recipes selected from the book using the same procedures, ingredients and tools that inmates can access and create. With Matteo Guidi, she analyzed the differences in food preparation outside and within prison cells. After the presentation, all participants were invited to eat what the chef had prepared.
Milan, May 2013O’ Non-profit Centre of Contemporary Art – with Luca Bigliardi (Architect). The discussion hinged on “spaces of detentions” and zones of social exclusion.
Bologna, May 2013Modo InfoShop Bookshop – with Sofia Venturoli (Anthropologist), and Ernesto (waiting to be born). Sofia Venturoli introduced the close connection between food and reproduction. The debate hinged on the affective charge of culinary tools and how food and, particularly, special recipes are fundamental to the maintainance of family relationships. The concept of the reversal of gender roles was discussed concerning the fact that many of the male detainees had never imagined becoming ‘expert’ cooks, prior to their arrest. This led to reflections on the transformations in identity occurring in such extreme conditions.
Trieste, May 2013Double Room Visual Art Gallery – with Pino Roveredo (Writer), Cecilia Donaggio (Multimedia Artist), Teresa Donaggio (Social Educator), Lilli Zumbo (Social Worker). This discussion was centred on detention and creativity.
Cesena, May 2013Giunti Bookshop – with Sandro Pascucci (Philosopher). The debate began with Pascucci’s comments that, today, cooking has been rendered uniform by culinary television programs and that jails are very distant from family everyday life.
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