#collective kitchen

[eatingarchitecture]

“Organization Earth is a newly-established Greek not-for-profit NGO set up to provide answers to modern social concerns about society and the environment.

The aim is to disseminate Environmental Social Intelligence (ESI), in other words to inform, educate and raise awareness in society about modern problems facing the environment and the ways that people can contribute to safeguarding the environment through their day-to-day activities and practices... ”

http://www.organizationearth.org/?page_id=2663

Every Sunday a collective kitchen takes place in the center. Anyone may participate or eat for a small amount of money.

We paid a visit last Sunday the 14th  of April, to the center to get a firsthand experience. When we arrived the food was ready and the place was full of people eating and having fun. Next to the cooking area there was a counter selling biological vegetables. We waited patiently at the line for our turn to get our own share. The food served contained risotto, spinach with octopus, black eyed peas and fresh salad. Of course along with the food came a big slice of bread. The food was quite tasty and the atmosphere really friendly. It was a pleasant Sunday lunch.

[eatingarchitecture]

In Athens there are a lot of initiatives concerning the reclaim of public space as well as the protection of buildings and institutions. Empros Theater is a self-run and self-organized space in the centre of Athens, which is open to public and hosts cultural and non-profit events. This theater, a former printing house, was active during the 90s but after owner’s death, it was given over to government, remaining closed to public. In 2011 a group of artists called the Mavili Collective occupied the abandoned building, reactivating the former function of cultural space with a new non-profit and free access way.

In February 2013 there was a 10-day program called ‘where are we now’, where various activities and gatherings took place reactivating and opening the theater to the public. Between labs, theatrical plays and discussions, the last day ‘the dining table of Empros’ was organized ‘serving’ commons as appetizer, the open assembly of Empros as main course and manifestos as dessert.  

http://www.embros.gr/

http://mavilicollective.wordpress.com/

[eatingarchitecture]

The crisis we face today may have caused many times the up-rise of violence and the need to blame others, but on the other hand it has  helped collective awareness to grow.

People now start to self-organize in smaller groups, taking initiatives     and starting things by themselves for the community.

In this context even more collective kitchens begin to appear in a city where everyone usually looked out for themselves.

In these collective kitchens people bring in goods and together they    cook, eat and clean up. Anyone can  eat for free or for a small          amount of money, or ,if he wishes, participate in the process.

Whether they are organized  by anarchists groups, or by the          residents of an area or even by one person, they are open to            everyone and make no discrimination.

These collective kitchens can be spotted all around Athens, mainly in the center, forming a network that connects people through our             common need for food and solidarity.

With our project we wish to add one more node in this network, underlining this new turn in our society.

In the map above the network of the existing collectives is noted. In addition, the square box indicates the area of our own intervention.

It is not only about charity and giving food to the poor. It is about       forming and re-interpreting  the commons