Prometheus_Open Food Lab_explorations
are the primary action of the _explorers in the landscape, the source of most of the _raw material which will be later processed in the _lab. _explorers move through the landscape carrying three different levels of exploration:
The exploration of the wild. As pioneers on a new planet, we explore the wild environment, the huge realm of the edible to find new elements to process and test into the food realm. It often turns out that the wild is not just wild, untouched but rather it has been neglected to the point of being re-wilded. It is the case for instance of the apple trees or former graze lands now re-colonised by the forest. Or again the river and its banks.
Interviews with local people. The generation that used to hold the knowledge of this region is now gone. Most of them migrated to Germany or Brazil during the 50’s of the last century and died abroad. A few remained here but the following generation was completely absorbed by the boom of the eyeglasses industry. Then the factories started to close during the 80’s and again most of them emigrated. Some of them still come back for the holidays but the most we could get so far is foggy memories of eighty years-old peoples’ childhood.
Networking with local people, businesses and institutions alreay working here. Some of them needed to start their activity from scratches as most of the knowledge is already lost. The network is one of the main strategies of Prometheus as it had been for centuries in the region. It helps the teams in the research process providing a base of knowledge and advice, adding more tools and competencies. In return we put in contact all the knots of the network with each other, exploring solutions for their challenges. We also share with them the outcomes of our researches and attract new people for further explorations, the whole network will benefit of.
As borrowed from the cutural residency, the structure of _explorations is generally limited in a defined time and may be oriented by a specific topic. Nevertheless the results of the single _explorations are not subject to any sort of limitation in time and space. _explorers are encouraged to return and the material they collect is ment to promote new and further _explorations by themselves as well as others.
_explorations are never and will
never be over!
Prometheus_ invite any potential _explorer out there to take critically every single ingredient served here, to question and to propose further _explorations.