Bread Rock is an edible sculptural and participatory art project. I use flour, water, yeast to bake bread. While it is still soft,
I hand sculpt the dough to resemble a rock formation. The hardened bread will be fitted into a custom made wooden pedestal to resemble the ancient practice of scholar rock. I then let the audience break the sculptured bread and enjoy it with olive oil accompanied by sake. The partake of this bread invite the participants to see, touch, smell and taste and experience the total immersion of the senses. The entire event is also documented on video and photographed. These Bread Rocks comes in different names that are derived from the materials used. Gold Mountain is coated with gold powder, Green Mountain is coated with green tea (matcha) powder and adored with a stem of rosemary. White(snow) Mountain is coated with coconut shavings and sprinkled with confectionary sugar. Condiments are also thoughtfully presented. There are various goat cheeses, capers, olive oil and freshly ground pepper with lavender-infused sea salt.
The act of sharing food is part of the human basic nature of a social being. Sharing food includes conviviality, intimacy and building relationships. All these characteristics expose the human basic need for social interaction and network building. Bread Rock is more about participation/multiple authorship, inclusion/connection, ephemeral/temporary, chaos/process/unpredictable as opposed to control/perfection/predictable, and specific instead of universal. It is also about finding moments and points where people can connect to each other, which is non-collectible, experiential, and immaterial. Each participant is his or her own author of the art piece. Their actions and participation activate the artpiece. Each one is both the spectator and the performer.
Bread Rock - Green Mountain Recipe
WET INGREDIENTS
2 cups of warm water at 80ºF.
Dilute 2 ½ teaspoons of commercial dry yeast.
Whisk a bit to dissolve the yeast. Wait for 5 minutes to activate the dormant yeast.
Add 2 tablespoons of Herbs de Provence to a cup of boiled water.
DRY INGREDIENTS
5 cups of all purpose flour, 2 teaspoons of salt. Mix well in a large bowl.
Add the yeast solution to the dry ingredients. Add the fragrance solution and
all the herbs to the bowl.
Mix well and pour the wet dough out on to a table top and start kneading
for about 10 mins.
This develops the gluten and the structure of the dough. Do not add flour if
the wet dough sticks to your hand. Keep kneading, it will be OK.
Once gluten strength is established let the dough rise in a well oiled bowl
and cover with saran wrap. Rest at room temperature.
PUNCH
Punch the inflated dough down and flatten the dough. Fold the dough.
Let rise again.
Repeat twice. Roll the dough up. Shape into a loaf.
PROOF
Proof dough in a warm and humid bathroom.
BAKE
Bake for 20minutes in a preheated 450ºF oven. You want to keep all the air inside it,
so gently place it in the preheated oven. You can tell if your bread is cooked by
tapping its bottom. If it sounds hollow it’s cooked, if it doesn’t then pop it back
in for a little longer. Stick a kitchen thermometer into the core of the bread and
it should read 200ºF. Do provide a steam bath for a thin and crunchy crust.
CHILL OUT
Rest on a cooling rack. Dress with matcha green tea.
