[Model of Österängen Open Outdoor Kitchen, Scale 1:15]

Proposal for Österängens öppna utekök:

Österängens öppna utekök (Österängen Open Outdoor Kitchen) is an outdoor kitchen with a combined wood fired cooking stove and charcoal grill plus seating made of tree logs.

At the centre of the kitchen is a wood fired stove and charcoal grill which can be used for traditional grilling but also for boiling and frying food over fire. The wood fired stove is a so-called “rocket stove”. A simple, durable and energy efficient stove construction. The idea is that the stove can provide safe means to cook food over fire and provide more diverse cooking possibilities than a traditional grill does.

The purpose of the kitchen is to support a broadened food culture, outdoor well-being and social interaction, and to remind of and inform about humanities long relationship to fire. The tree logs that function as seating are from locally grown and cut trees. They create opportunities for various animals to find shelter and habitat and are therefore a small contribution to the areas biodiversity.

During the opening of the kitchen “fire soup” and stick bread will be cooked on the stove. A fire soup is a warm and spicy soup cooked over fire using primarily red, orange and yellow ingredients. There will also be conversations about humanities long and complex relation to fire and a performance where sounds from the fire and soup are amplified. After the opening the kitchen can be used freely by residents in the area and for activities arranged by Österängen konsthall. At Österängens konsthall there will be a lendable box with cooking utensils suitable for a gathering of five people, as well as a booklet with information about the kitchen and instructions for responsible fire use.

Österängens open outdoor kitchen is a project within the larger project “Naturen tar över” (Nature takes over) initiated and produced by Österängens konsthall during spring / summer 2020.