composing the garam masala - preparing for the cildren's workshop

Together with the media artist Krsitina Andersen, we are preparing the children's workshop taking place as a part of the festival "Babylut" in Belgium in the beginning of March.

The festival targets the age 0 - 4. That's unusual as a festival! Those are the ages that the verbal communication does not work completely yet. But therefore the communication by means of scent could be more refined and pure...

Our goals:

• Let the kids enjoy grinding the spices and the scent that comes up by that movement
• Let the kids paint with the 'scented paint'.
• Provide the kids those 'scent memories'. The scented painting helps them reminding the experiences.

What to choose as a palette ...?


We'll make the original aprons for the kids.


As starting the experiments, we'll make the garam masala.
The recipe is from my aunt that regularly practices yoga in South India.

Top row from the left: cumin, coriander seed, green cardamon, clove
Bottom row from the left: black pepper, fennel, laurier leaves, cinnamon


Roasting them.
By heating up, the smell molecules can easily come out from the tissues.


Grind them.


Good job!


We should count that:

• the heavier stone is easier for the kids
• the spices flies
• better to do it on the mat
  

The dinner was the spinach and goat cheese curry. Delicious.