Solstice Spectrum

The principles surrounding rituals have proved to be an enduring theme through many of Collective Ending’s previous endeavours, as well as a key consideration of many of our members’ practices. From our 2019 exhibition series ABSINTHE that saw the the ritualistic preparation and imbibing of Absinthe take centre stage with Tom Ribot’s performative installation, to our 2020 exhibition A Land of Incomparable Beauty which explored the lasting presence of Pagan traditions within the British Countryside and took critical inspiration from Paul Wright’s documentary Arcadia. Similarly Elliot Fox’s practice often incorporates reference to the mythical monuments that litter the Cornish Landscape, symbolic reminders of foundational ritualistic happenings, whilst Gobyfish regularly host performative dinners that revolve around edible installations that centre ritual eating practices, collaboration and knowledge exchange.

Solstice Spectrum brings to the fore our curiosity in the ritualistic experiences of both cooking and eating, as members of Collective Ending embrace the organic surrounds of rural St. Ives. In particular, the event will examine how two monumental pre-human advancements, the discovery of fire and the use of tools for food preparation, shaped our species’ evolutionary development. The former will be evoked through three sculptural grills, created in collaboration by Elliot Fox and Gobyfish, that both allows food to be cooked slowly over an open flame, reminiscent of our ancestors earliest harnessing of fire, and compliments a menu that harnesses the area’s abundance of natural produce. Additionally, each artist will present an element of their practice atop a series of tooth-shaped plinths that serve to reference both the distinctive rock formations that mark the county’s ritualistic history and the anatomical evolution of human teeth, jaw and facial structure following the invention of stone tools to prepare food.