Riet Wijnen: Suitcase Economy

Suitcase Economy

Suitcase Economy is the third edition of Tools for Conviviality, a framework in which we continue our work of reimagining our MELLY ground-floor bookstore, café, and event space as a welcoming, free, social area. With evolving artistic interventions, the space invites gathering, listening, meal-sharing, conversing, and creating together.

Canteen

An experimental canteen, Suitcase Economy, is a year-long project developed by artist Riet Wijnen in collaboration with fellow artists, designers, and family. The project is shaped by the movement of produce carried in suitcases from one place to another, inspiring a bartering of food products whose lifespan is extended through methods of fermentation or preservation. During workshops and study sessions, these processes of transformation will be extrapolated to think about history, territory, and health.

Structure

A yellow triangular structure cuts the canteen into sixteen lines. The structure is inspired by Riet’s ongoing series Sixteen Conversations on Abstraction, a project that investigates overlooked and not yet known histories of abstraction. In this series, location is represented by yellow, while time is depicted by green.

Bring your own

Bring your lunch, enjoy the condiments, and order homemade staples of Suitcase Economy like elderflower, and rhubarb syrup!

Partners

Knives and pans are gifted by BARE Cookware. The tableware of Suitcase Economy is supported by Mondriaan Fund, Amsterdam Fund for the Arts, and European Ceramic Work Centre. Suitcase Economy is supported through funds from Droom en Daad Foundation.