Wednesday June 26, 2024
Invocations (Prelude)
‘Mey’ was the name of a boat* christened in the Barceloneta neighbourhood where it lived, sailed and, one day, was burnt. Among the contents of this fisherman’s boat, only a little bell, a statuette of the Virgin of Carmen and the rudder were saved. For this special session of MACBA’s Open Kitchen programme, we will summon nets, iron cauldrons, pots and pans, jugs and pitchers, cranes and sirens, little bells on the open wind, always our friend. The dishes we will cook for this occasion will come from the only two small fishing boats that still fish in the Port of Barcelona today. Llorenç Barber (musician and composer) and Marina Monsonís (artist and food sovereignty activist) will submerge us in locally-sourced rituals of care and seaside cuisine. A serene, sonorous ceremony that honours – pure magic – the life of artisan boats before their burning in Barceloneta and the recent demolition of the old fish market.
As the musician Carles Santos use to say: ‘Barca, suquet i pa que mai mos falte’ (‘Boat, fish stew and bread may we never lack’).
*The boat’s name refers to the term ‘Mayday’, a signal of emergency and mortal danger that is used by all vessels (air, sea, etc.). It is also known as ‘May Day’, the international day of workers’ rights and a pagan festival that celebrates fertility and rebirth in various parts of the world.
