In Loving Memory of Fat Jasmine, a project by David Bell
On November 12, 2015, as part of the Women's Center for Creative Work's Parlor at the Armory Residency at the Armory Center for the Arts in Pasadena, Studio Cooking hosted a performance organized by David Bell and performed by Anthony Bodlović called In Loving Memory of Fat Jasmine. Founded by David Bell and Ashley Jean Harris in 2013, Fat Jasmine was a collaborative pop-up pizza project that supposedly ended due to irreconcilable differences.
During the meal-event Bodlović greeted each participant engaging individuals and the group simultaneously and casually shifting through the roles of pizza-making instructor, spiritual-nutritional adviser (with a philosophical overview on the enlightened states of each ingredient), therapist, and shaman. Pizzas were made with each participant's emotions embedded within. The pizzas were cooked (or cremated) in the oven and named as they were removed; a mini-memorial for each pizza and the emotions it contained followed and each person at the table received a slice of the pizza. Each participant had the opportunity to sacrifice their first masticated bite of pizza into an urn made by Bell. Periodically, Bodlović would invite a participant to sit next to him for some more intimate therapy, with a microphone. The performance ended when all the pizzas were consumed.
