CUISINE TA VILLE

Presented by ATSA, Quand l’art passe à l’action

Cuisine ta ville is a relational art event presented by ATSA, When Art takes Action, to better know the refugees of yesterday and today who make up Montreal's social fabric.

In the heart of the city, the staging immerses us in a universe that blends the reminiscence of the journey of flight, the memory of the home left behind, and the hospitality of the new one that offers the possibility of rebuilding a life. A row of tents resembling those very Montreal winter car shelters too is, for some, a throwback to refugee camps. Under each shelter awaits a world to be discovered: unique, congenial, and informative.

Some recent arrivals have successfully integrated, some people have just newly arrived, while others have yet to arrive... There are those here who reach out to welcome the new arrivals, with all the humanity and apprehension that entails. The project proposes a historical perspective; an assessment of the present and the issues related to integration within the host society; and a reflection on what to expect in light of the current international situation.

A Québec-style kitchen party, Le Temps d’une Soupe one-on-one conversations, seminars, testimonials, exhibitions, and lively performances will enrich this essentially human experience, allowing us to understand, to forge ties, and to get involved in the lives of people who were forced to leave their home in great haste, who have experienced unimaginable distress and uncertainty, and who now have hope of rebuilding their lives here..

Refugees of yesterday and today, we are calling on you! Hungarians from ’56, the Boat People of ’79, members of the Jewish, Haitian, Armenian, Colombian, Chilean, Congolese, Bhutanese, Iranian, and now Syrian, communities... and all others who at one point arrived and have since become our fellow citizens, and who are part of Montreal society as we celebrate its 375^th anniversary. This project seeks to bring us together: to help us get to know one another and to find our place within the wide spectrum of challenges we need to meet together.