Rockcliff Riverine Phase 1 / Public Art
Dean Baldwin Lew
Created (after Géricault) for the sculpture biennale St-Jean-Port-Joli, featuring a heavily overbuilt picnic table fastened by ropes to a large rock on a tidal plain in the St. Laurent river basin. Twice a day, the tide submerges the rocky point and the table, somewhat floating, smashes repeatedly against the rocks. Each time at low tide, the table makes landing, beaching itself somewhere slightly new. Repairs are then made and celebrated by opening up a six seater "restaurant" that focuses on small course simple seafood dishes. Malpeque oysters with lime, grilled sardines with Harissa and olive oil, whole radishes with salt. A selection of chilled white wines are available. Everything is gratis to those make the arduous 17 min trek over rocks and across bog out to the point on the water where the sunsets are spectacular.
On a soft bend in the slow moving Burnley Creek running through Warkworth, Ontario a restaurant was opened for a single weekend in 2015. In the week prior, traps were set to capture an invasive species of freshwater crustaceans called “Rusty Crawfish”. As it is prohibited to “carry overland” a known invasive species (in that they might be introduced to a new uninfected watershed), the entire kitchen and dining area was set-up directly in the river.
Guests were invited to leave behind their sock & shoes, take a seat at a table and be served a four course amuse bouche menu of local treats.
Prince Edward County Wines were chilled to the river temperature.
Menu
Riverbed Watercress with Radish and Balsamic
Papilliotte of Trout with Hua Jiao peppers & Lime
Steamed Crustaceans of Invasive Species
Cambellford Cheddar w Fallen Apples from the Adjacent Parking Lot
Curated by Tania Thompson for Sunday Drive 2015. Most photographs courtesy Dustin Rabin
Art F City Review
