"Mastering the Art of Abolitionary Cooking" cooking show by Tola Swietlicka

How does one cure a broken heart?

A heart fractured not only by love but by the excruciating darkness of a world shaped by capitalism, profit, violence, and hunger—pushing the boundaries of what is livable and sustainable. How do we begin to mend this rupture and safeguard the lives and futures that lie ahead? Perhaps we might treat it as we do food. Just as we preserve fruits and vegetables, can we preserve our hearts, broken by the system? Can we cover them in salt and let them cure—allowing the invasive elements to drain away, disappearing into nothingness, naturally, through time and care?

In this interactive performance, we explore the idea that food is far more than sustenance—it is a wordless language of connection, a vessel of memory, and a tool for imagining alternative futures. While universally recognized as essential for survival, food transcends mere hunger; it defies linguistic and cultural divides, creating a sensorial space where meaning is shared, felt, and enacted beyond words.

Inspired by the abolitionist and food-loving theories of Charles Fourier and modeled after the whimsical and transformative culinary practice of Julia Child, Mastering the Art of Abolitionary Cooking grapples with the challenge of dismantling the hyper-individualized and heartbreaking fragmentation of connection between humans, nature, and our fellow co-inhabitants.

By pushing against the boundaries of food, we ask: how might we decenter human exceptionalism? How might we reshape our relationships—not only with ourselves but with the natural world, non-human animals, and the vital resources that sustain life?

Through active participation and immersion in food artifacts, the audience is invited to embark on a thought-provoking journey—exploring food communes, preservation techniques, mystical food symbolism, and a heartfelt encounter with Świetlicka's late grandmother’s culinary legacy.

Perhaps by pouring salt on the wound, we can begin to cultivate a future rooted in care, mutual kinship, and nourished bodies.