Review: One Little Piece of Endless Sky
By Liana Magrath.
One Little Piece of Endless Sky… I feel all of us in attendance last night wanted it to be an endless night. What a unique experience and an amazing combination of food, art, wine, stories and creativity. A treat for all the senses (to sound a little cliché).
Local Griffith artist Hape Kiddle of Bidgee Studio, and local chef Luke Piccolo of Limone Dining, came up with the idea of hosting a dinner and art experience several months ago, and have since been working to come up with elements that make this dinner series truly unique. When I say it was a treat for all the senses I mean every sense; the fragrance of the food and wine, the aesthetics of the artworks and the food that appears on your plate as if an artwork itself, the taste of the unexpected flavours that Piccolo has carefully created, paired with lovingly selected wine, the touch of small elements Kiddle has created to assist the serving of the food, and the stories that were told throughout the night to create a true understanding of what it is you’re experiencing.
If you’re wondering what connects artist and chef… the answer is passion. Passion for their craft, passion for the challenge of developing something over time until it works, passion for using an inspiration that comes from deep within. Throughout the night Kiddle spoke about some of his artworks and the story behind them, these stories created a deep awareness that everything he makes is a small piece of him. “The artwork is born from a story and a feeling that is deep within me” said Kiddle, suggesting his sculptures have a desire to exist and he is the vessel through which they reach physical form.
Piccolo also spoke throughout the night about the food he was presenting us, and I saw a whole other level of passion for food I wasn’t aware was possible. It made me realise you don’t have to work with paint, charcoal and marble to be an artist. Much like Kiddle’s artworks it felt like the dishes had a desire to exist and Piccolo was chosen to create them due to his desire for the perfect combination of flavours, textures and appearance. At one point he spoke about a dish that took several months to perfect, now I’m no food critic, but to me it felt he had reached perfection, and yes a few of us, the self-labeled riff-raff of the group, lost our manners and licked the bowl upon finishing, no apologies were made as such behaviour comes from being immersed in an experience. I must also pay tribute to Piccolo’s partner Fabiola who selected and spoke of the wine pairings for each meal, not only were the wines matched to the flavours, but they too had a story behind their selection, also placing a piece of Fabiola into the overall experience.
The One Little Piece of Endless Sky dinner series continues over the next three nights, unfortunately if you haven’t booked it is now sold out! However, a cocktail-style event and exhibition viewing will be held this Saturday 30th September from 4pm, which is open to everyone. There is also the promise of more events of similar purpose in the future as Kiddle and Piccolo have the desire to keep creating, and their partnership seems to have only just begun.
