Editorial https://editorial.piece-piece.com/ Sun, 18 Jun 2023 13:56:10 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.5 http://editorial.piece-piece.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/cropped-favicon-32x32-1-32x32.png Editorial https://editorial.piece-piece.com/ 32 32 The Well-Traveled Chef Who Dives Into The World Of Flavors http://editorial.piece-piece.com/zuri-camille-de-souza-the-well-traveled-chef-who-dives-into-the-world-of-flavors/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=zuri-camille-de-souza-the-well-traveled-chef-who-dives-into-the-world-of-flavors Thu, 26 Jan 2023 19:33:29 +0000 http://editorial.piece-piece.com/?p=2067 THE WELL-TRAVELED CHEF WHO DIVES INTO THE WORLD OF FLAVORS For a few years now, Marseille the oldest French city  has become a hub for creatives from all over the world. The multicultural and vibrant capital of culture who lies on the Mediterranean sea has become a strategic base to reset body and soul and […]

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THE WELL-TRAVELED CHEF WHO DIVES INTO THE WORLD OF FLAVORS

For a few years now, Marseille the oldest French city  has become a hub for creatives from all over the world. The multicultural and vibrant capital of culture who lies on the Mediterranean sea has become a strategic base to reset body and soul and a good excuse to unveil hidden gems. Among them: Zuri Camille De Souza the multi-dimensional chef behind Sanna. 

Fabienne Ayina: In 2022 the Academy of France in Roma launched an experimental residency and culinary creation for the first time. You have been the first chef to be invited. It must have been both, exciting and scary? Can you describe your experience at the Villa Médici?

Zuri Camille De Souza: It’s been such an intense year–such an abundance of new experiences! I’m not sure where to begin with my residency at the Villa Medici. It was definitely a big challenge coming into such an old establishment with so many layers, and finding my place in the huge ecosystem that’s running it – from the gardeners to the residents to the secretary to the librarians and everyone in between… I think I came in and shook things up a bit! Working with Sam Stourdzé and his team, and having amazing mentors. I want to thank The Small Group who allowed me to realize a lot of dreams –working from the kitchen garden to local producers , creating a new way of eating that moves away from the really stuffy protocol– that can show up in spaces like this. I had the opportunity to cook for very interesting creative people and work closely with the artists in residence to interpret their works through my food and I found this very inspiring. Also, just going deeper into the terroir of Lazio and eating such delicious produce all year round gave me so many ideas about what I’d like to develop in my own practice as a chef.

F.A: Your inspiration is coming from your childhood spent in the South West of India. Your dad is catholic from Kenya and Goa and your mom is from Pune and Mumbai. You also traveled the world. Why did you pick food to explore your identity and creativity?

ZCDS: I’ve always enjoyed eating and cooking and find a lot of value in the connections between food and sustainability. My parents come from different religious and regional backgrounds and so my brother and I grew up with a mix of cultures, festivals and culinary heritages. I’ve always struggled with people placing this stamp of ‘Indian culture’ on me—it such a diverse country that I can’t accept one reductive, homogenized interpretation of it. When I started cooking, I realized that it’s also a way to engage with this complexity, to share my experience of India with others.

 

 

F.A: It seems there is some kind of joie de vivre and freedom in your food. You are not scared to experiment or reinvent recipes.  Is it coming from your own instinct or maybe curiosity? I found traveling, being polyglot and having a multicultural background are developing these two qualities effortlessly.

ZCDS: I try to find links between the produce and terroir of the place I find myself in and my own culinary practice—its a balance between sensitivity and being open to different ways of doing things. I think there’s a fine line between interpretation and appropriation and I don’t feel comfortable with reinventing something that I don’t understand fully, through all my senses. I feel like in France, people are finally exploring ingredients and ways of eating and cooking techniques from the global south but I sometimes find it decontextualized and a bit lost. So yes, I’m experimenting and exploring but not sure I’m reinventing because I am committed to honoring the techniques and traditions that came before me. Maybe what I cook is an expression of an understanding or the beginning of one.


F.A: When I contacted you,  you were doing apnea in what seemed a far-flung destination. Is being a chef a synonym of being an adventurer in real life?

ZCDS: I was free-diving in the Gulf of Aqaba . It’s in the Sinai region . I have spent a lot of time in Palestine so it was nice to be back in the desert again, but this time by the coast! I do free diving as a meditation practice, to connect with the stillness and beauty that I find under the water. It is also an opportunity to work against my fears and discomfort. I’m not sure if being a chef is being an adventurer! I think there is definitely a narrative that the industry  is quite rock and roll and adrenaline-filled but I’m more of an NTS radio and turmeric infusions type of chef. It is definitely a universe that could do with more mindfulness and intention because there’s a very toxic layer to all the violence and speed and intensity that one might find in the kitchen.

F.A: Someone told me once home is where the people you love are. You are now based in Marseille which is a very special place and in a way can be the perfect place for nomads. Is it your final destination? After living in different continents and having many lives, where is home for you now?

ZCDS: Home is definitely Marseille for the moment, I have the sea and my closest friends here.

PHOTOS | JIMMY GRANGER

  TEXT | FABIENNE AYINA

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]]> 2067 Marseille Essentials http://editorial.piece-piece.com/essentials-to-bring-from-marseille/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=essentials-to-bring-from-marseille Wed, 18 Jan 2023 10:16:26 +0000 https://editorial.piece-piece.com/?p=1620 ESSENTIALS FROM MARSEILLE NAVETTES COOKIES In a shape of small boats, these orange blossom cookies have been invented by Mr Aveyrous in 1781. CANVAS BAG FROM ENSEMBLE Sarah and her partner in crime (aka the duo behind Loose Joints) just moved their operation  from London. They publish some of the best photography books.  MARSEILLE SOAP […]

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ESSENTIALS FROM MARSEILLE

NAVETTES COOKIES

In a shape of small boats, these orange blossom cookies have been invented by Mr Aveyrous in 1781.

CANVAS BAG FROM ENSEMBLE

Sarah and her partner in crime (aka the duo behind Loose Joints) just moved their operation  from London. They publish some of the best photography books. 

MARSEILLE SOAP

Made out of olive oil, the legendary soap has been produced in Marseille for about 600 years.

 

BON VOYAGE MARSEILLE

Published by Ofr., Bon Voyage is a collection of photographs taken by Clara Sfadj. Beautiful!

PERE BLAIZE ESSENTIAL OILS 

Père Blaize is an institution in Marseille when it comes to anything herbal. 

LUCIANI COFFEE

Roasted à l’ancienne from father to son since 1860. 

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]]> 1620 The Possibility Of A Greek Island http://editorial.piece-piece.com/the-possibility-of-a-greek-island/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-possibility-of-a-greek-island Mon, 16 Jan 2023 12:02:56 +0000 https://editorial.piece-piece.com/?p=1499 THE POSSIBILITY OF A GREEK ISLAND PHOTOS | FABIENNE AYINA

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THE POSSIBILITY OF A GREEK ISLAND

PHOTOS | FABIENNE AYINA

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]]> 1499 La Cité Radieuse | Le Corbusier http://editorial.piece-piece.com/la-cite-radieuse-le-corbusier/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=la-cite-radieuse-le-corbusier Mon, 02 Jan 2023 04:54:47 +0000 https://editorial.piece-piece.com/?p=1400 LA CITE RADIEUSE LE CORBUSIER Photos | Fabienne Ayina

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LA CITE RADIEUSE LE CORBUSIER

Photos | Fabienne Ayina

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]]> 1400 One Day In Winter At The Villa Noailles http://editorial.piece-piece.com/one-day-in-winter-at-villa-noailles/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=one-day-in-winter-at-villa-noailles Fri, 30 Dec 2022 14:37:20 +0000 https://editorial.piece-piece.com/?p=1240 ONE DAY IN WINTER AT VILLA NOAILLES Robert Mallet-Stevens has been commissioned  in 1923 to build  the Villa Noailles located in Hyères. In order to please Charles and Marie-Laure de Noailles –the owners–, the young architect had to include the vestiges of the Saint-Bernard monastery within the house.  The project took 8 years to achieve  […]

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ONE DAY IN WINTER AT VILLA NOAILLES

Robert Mallet-Stevens has been commissioned  in 1923 to build  the Villa Noailles located in Hyères. In order to please Charles and Marie-Laure de Noailles –the owners–, the young architect had to include the vestiges of the Saint-Bernard monastery within the house.  The project took 8 years to achieve  (from 1924 to 1932). It features five bedrooms, a living room, and a dining room. 

TEXT + PHOTOS | FABIENNE AYINA

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]]> 1240 What Simply Happens, An Ode To The Hills Of Athens http://editorial.piece-piece.com/what-simply-happens-nicolas-melemis/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=what-simply-happens-nicolas-melemis Thu, 29 Dec 2022 15:51:24 +0000 https://editorial.piece-piece.com/?p=1101 WHAT SIMPLY HAPPENS: AN ODE TO THE HILLS OF ATHENS I discovered the work of Nicolas Melemis while spending some time in Athens this Fall. Since then What Simply Happens has become one of my Winter essential. Beautifully designed by Matto, the Paris-based creative studio, the publication is a collection of photographs punctuated with texts of Ioanna Gerakidi, Marc Delalonde and Odysseas Simos. […]

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WHAT SIMPLY HAPPENS: AN ODE TO THE HILLS OF ATHENS

I discovered the work of Nicolas Melemis while spending some time in Athens this Fall. Since then What Simply Happens has become one of my Winter essential. Beautifully designed by Matto, the Paris-based creative studio, the publication is a collection of photographs punctuated with texts of Ioanna Gerakidi, Marc Delalonde and Odysseas Simos. More than an art book, What Simply Happens is an observation of  the nature within the urban landscape and an ode to the hills of Athens.

Fabienne Ayina: You were born and raised in France but you live in Athens. Why did you choose to be based in the Greek capital?

Nicolas Melemis: I was born in Paris of Canadian parents. My grandfather is Greek and I used to go to Athens every year during the summer to see family. In 2016 I came to Athens for a workshop with the school of architecture of Paris-Malaquais. I photographed the Western part of Athens and in 2017 I exhibited the work at the Lyon Biennale of Architecture. At that point I felt something was changing in the city, there was an energy that was really strong and interesting. Since then it turned out that huntch was correct, and another change is happening, we’ll see where that goes. I went back in 2018 to work on my finals project, that work developped into the book What Simply Happens. Now I still have to go back to Paris for work as it’s still hard to work in Athens. It’s nice to be able to have different energies. I also think Athens can be a bit tricky if you don’t go with a plan, something specific to do.

F.A: You have a background in architecture, did it influence your work? If so, how?

N.M: My architecture studies have been very important in the work I do. I work with architecture studios and designers in commissioned works. For more personnal projects it always evolves around city planning and studies of territories. I let myself  being more poetic and free in how I approach places. The way I go about it and the vocabulary both visual and theoretical I use, comes from my studies and growing up around architects.

F.A: You just opened a residency, an art space in Athens. Can you tell us more about it?

N.M: It’s called Big Table! The idea is to have a shared production space dedicated to images. It’s something I feel is missing in Athens. A place people can come for a period and make projects, slowly we hope to get tools in, to print, develop and make images!
We also host events,  film screenings, dinners, exihibitions. We’re still at the start of the project and it’s going to be an organic development. Things will happen and we will  have the freedom to follow them to play it by ear!

F.A: What are you currently working on, what are your future projects?

N.M: Appart from Big Table, I did a residency, Création en Cours by the Atelier Médicis, in the French island of Mayotte (of the coast of Madagascar).  I’m now working on an exhibition and hopefully another book will follow.

F.A: You published What Really Happens, a photography book which what seems a declaration of love to your city of adoption. I found it poetic and a bit melancholic. Can you share with us the process of this project?

N.M: The book is a love letter for sure! In 2018, I came to Athens to work on my thesis project. I did a number of interviews and talked to many people. From these conversations and my personal experience I decided to work on Athenian green space. As I went further and walked around I began to be fascinated by the hills. They felt so important yet somehow a bit outside of the people conception of Athens. From there I started exploring, trying to be as comprehensive as possible, i would go for days out and have a general destination, then I would let myself be moved by events and spaces. I got chased by dogs, found parties, talked to people saw a new space from a top. This would lead me through the hills.

For the book I decided not to keep any events, any anecdotes. I wanted to make people feel what the hills are like in their most common state. How people experience them daily. This might be where the feeling of melancholy comes from, but I would say, melancholic is the exact opposite of how I feel for the hills. They are a vital space, one of the most free and vibrant examples of city space I ever encountered. They are now being attacked as spaces of freedom by trying to make them into more of a traditional urban space but hopefully they are stronger than that!

F.A: What are you currently working on, what are your future projects?

N.M: Appart from Big Table. I did a residency, Création en Cours by the Atelier Médicis, in the french island of Mayotte, it’s a small island of the coast of Madagascar. I was there working on a project and now I’m working on making an exhibition, and hopefully another book from that work.

Interview | Fabienne Ayina

    Photos | Nicolas Melemis

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]]> 1101 Airport Life http://editorial.piece-piece.com/aiport-life-escale-in-design/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=aiport-life-escale-in-design Sun, 11 Dec 2022 11:36:00 +0000 https://editorial.piece-piece.com/?p=1031 AIRPORT LIFE / ESCALE IN STYLE PHOTOS | FABIENNE AYINA © 2022 pièce. All Rights Reserved.  

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AIRPORT LIFE / ESCALE IN STYLE

PHOTOS | FABIENNE AYINA

© 2022 pièce. All Rights Reserved.

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]]> 1031 Postcards From Morocco http://editorial.piece-piece.com/mysterious-morocco/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=mysterious-morocco Sat, 10 Dec 2022 13:18:04 +0000 https://editorial.piece-piece.com/?p=952 POSTCARDS FROM MOROCCO                   Of course I’m not the only one to be under the spell of the North African country. By tradition, the kingdom always attracted a crowd of artists, poets, vagabonds, and other free-spirited characters –Jimi Hendrix, Eugene Delacroix, Talitha Getty, The Stones, Yves Saint […]

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POSTCARDS FROM MOROCCO

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Of course I’m not the only one to be under the spell of the North African country. By tradition, the kingdom always attracted a crowd of artists, poets, vagabonds, and other free-spirited characters –Jimi Hendrix, Eugene Delacroix, Talitha Getty, The Stones, Yves Saint Laurent, William Burroughs, Henri Matisse, Paul Bowles–. There is a certain aesthetic, mystery and magic in Morocco which are quite enveloping. The warmth and hospitality of the people, the luxurious natural materials, the unseen behind the heavy doors, the legends and an untamed desert.

Text + Photos | Fabienne Ayina

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]]> 952 Playlist 1 | A Late Summer Night http://editorial.piece-piece.com/the-yanomami-struggle/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-yanomami-struggle Sat, 10 Dec 2022 10:28:11 +0000 https://editorial.piece-piece.com/?p=664 PLAYLIST 1 | A LATE SUMMER NIGHT

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PLAYLIST 1 | A LATE SUMMER NIGHT

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]]> 664 The Macedonio Alcalá Theatre http://editorial.piece-piece.com/the-macedonio-alcala-theatro/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-macedonio-alcala-theatro Tue, 06 Dec 2022 15:42:21 +0000 https://editorial.piece-piece.com/?p=961 THE MACEDONIO ALCALA THEATRE                                           The memories of a Summer spent in Oaxaca are blurry. I think I was losing sight and mental clarity. I found these visual vestiges on an old hard drive: A […]

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THE MACEDONIO ALCALA THEATRE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The memories of a Summer spent in Oaxaca are blurry. I think I was losing sight and mental clarity. I found these visual vestiges on an old hard drive: A visit at the Macedonio Alcara theatre.

TEXT AND PHOTOS | FABIENNE AYINA

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