Art and Food Endure a Marathon Meeting at Grace-Gallery

By Christy Nyiri

I'm not quite certain why anyone would want to do anything for forty consecutive hours, especially an activity that would require some amount of mental soundness and physical dexterity at hour thirty nine, but apparently torturous endurance seemed like a good idea to grace-gallery director Rachel Zottenberg. The even bigger mystery, though, is how she cajoled gourmet chef Todd Baiden into doing all the dirty work for her.

Diners enjoy the fruits of a 40-hour culinary caper at grace-gallery.

I was somewhat skeptical as I walked down to the Main Street locale: a dinner party… 10pm sharp… at an art space? The details were dim; I was invited less than 24 hours previous to the July 11 event, whilst hunkering over a pool table at an east-side watering hole. Sure, I like eating!

What I was to find out was that our two-hour meal timeslot was merely the fourteenth in a forty hour eating/drinking/film-watching marathon – a one-off collaboration between Baiden, who runs a private restaurant at an insiders-only location, and Zottenburg, who has owned and curated grace-gallery for just five months.

Aptly entitled 40 Hours of Food and Flicks, grace-gallery's art project/night of dining went something like this: the space had been transformed into a make-shift-yet-elegant, candelabra-lit dining room. Drinks were proffered and guests served a unique three-course tasting menu, while a series of works by local filmmakers played on a projection screen set up for the occasion (Jamie Travis' eye candy-riffic Patternstrilogy was a particular treat).

Right next to the screen was chef Baiden in action – the "kitchen" was located beside the films, and guests could switch from one show to the other. Otherwise, diners had no other task but to relax and enjoy the experience: the wait staff refilled wine glasses as required, cleared plates, and shooed you out when your time in the culinary art marathon had expired.

Other than a full fridge and pantry, a healthy array of spices, and a stock of homemade ice cream in the freezer, there's seemed to be little premeditation involved. No menu awaited guests, and a show of hands for vegetarians after everyone had been seated was the most input we were allowed into what we were about to devour. Baiden took a twenty-minute window after each seating to de-stress with a cigarette outside and ponder over what would make as his next gastronomical offering. A break from working with food where he got to… think about food. Luckily for him, the ice cream was pre- prepared. For our own brush with Baiden's creations, we were served a salad of carrot, sprout and pulled pork in a miso dressing and a main of fish, black beans, spicy peppers and flatbread. Time-of-day menus seemed to be the only rule, as there were rumours of muffins and crème fraîche in the morning hours.

Zottenberg's tenure as director has her running the grace-gallery as an experimental space of sorts, a gallery unafraid to provide a venue for exploratory art practices, collaboration and risk taking. Baiden, was a willing cohort in this mission: he's an artist, after all, except his offerings are created with seasonings and a frying pan instead of paint on canvas.

Just before Hour 28 of Baiden and Zottenberg's 40 hour adventure, I cornered the chef as he tidied up the folding tables and gas hot plates that made up his kitchen. I asked the tireless gourmet if there were plans to make 40 Hours an annual event. He eyes returned a horrified look at the prospect, and he somewhat speechlessly communicated that a repeat performance was last thing on his mind - it seems as though dabbling in endurance culinary art again won't be on his plate any time soon

Grace-gallery is located at 1898 Main St, at E. 3rd Avenue in East Vancouver. It is currently showing works by mixed- media artist Curtis Santiago until August 7, 2008. Todd Baiden's restaurant is a private affair - for location and bookings, contact grace-gallery at www.grace-gallery.com.