Fagus

By Jasmine Parsley.

Forests not only provide shelter and a home for a variety of plants and animals. They are also particularly symbolic spaces in which fairytale stories, cultural longings and forgotten knowledge overlap. The beech, Fagus in Latin, is considered the queen of the forest. Its tree family, the Fagaceae, also includes chestnuts and oaks. The etymology of the word connects Fagus with the Greek word ‘phagein’, which means to eat or share. With this in mind, Jasmine Parsley's food performance invites you to a very special shared meal. ‘Fagus’ here stands for the nourishing centre of a gathering, and for how culinary secrets can still be discovered in the inanimate silence and darkness of the forest in February.