The choreography of a SPOON

Gabi Veit is an Italian artist and former jewellery maker with a passion for spoons. In her studio, she imagines and creates spoons inspired by the spirituality inherent in nature, and the motion of daily life and social graces, particularly table manners. Historically speaking, table manners evolved during the 16th century with the assistance Catherine de Medici, who at the time struggled to popularise usage of the fork. Initially utilised mainly in Italy and to a lesser degree in France, eating utensils began to gain more common usage, and played an integral and symbolic role in the Renaissance concept of personal betterment. Today, spoons are the most widely used eating utensil in the world, and are so “common” that there seems to be a complete lack of reflection regarding their design potential or functional possibilities anymore.

© Gabi Veit

In between her jewellery collections, Gabi Veit creates spoons that are the products of long term reflection. Veit has collaborated with the German gastronomy initiative, Steinbesser for The Experimental Gastronomy, which brings together renowned chefs and artists for a unique culinary experience. The meal’s ingredients are entirely plant based and sourced from local organic and biodynamic producers. Artists create cutlery and dish ware that celebrate experimentation and the search for new ways to enjoy food. The dinners showcase contemporary cuisine at the highest level, uniting design, gastronomy, and nature. Veit’s collaboration with Steinbesser resulted in the creation of a beautiful cutlery set inspired by the seven deadly sins that was part of five years of events hosted by the Steinbesser duo: a new crop of creatives working to challenge mealtime conventions and contemporary eating rituals through immersive and interactive performance art. Reminiscent of both the avant-garde and Onirism, this collection was a true discovery and food for thought. We decided to interview its creator, Gabi Veit.

1/ Can you introduce your self (origins and background) ?

I’m a graphic designer and jeweller from South Tyrol. I’m german speaking in Italy (there is a language minority of 500.000 people in the North of Italy on the boarder to Austria and Switzerland). I grew up in the mountains, was always surrounded by nature. My family had a plant nursery. I run my graphic design studio since 1994. I founded a theatre in Bozen/Bolzano and I directed it 13 years. Since the year 2001 I collect spoons. With 40 years I startet my jewelry studies in Florence. Since than I make jewelry and spoons.

2/ I see that you have artistic theatre background, is this why you started to create SPOONS and play with the eating choreography ?

Theatre was always a passion of me. I love the small, individual and experimental forms of theatre and music. When a form contaminates another. I worked backstages. I organized, I managed, I promoted.  The spoons came into my life on a journey to South America. When I came back I showed my friends my wood and metal spoons and they asked me „Do you collect spoons?“

© Gabi Veit

3/ You have a series of Jewellery that is call Jazz Jewellery, what is you relationship to the motion ?

I love jazz music. Maybe I should make a new collection 🙂

4/ Your (amazingly beautiful) pieces are made of stone, aluminium and silver. How do you work with those raw materials to create emotions ?

I work with a soft material – wax – which in lost wax casting is becoming metal.  Working directly on metal these forms and surfaces I couldn’t achieve.

5/ Can you explain us how you translate plants and nature into spoons and sins ? And where does come from your obsession for spoons ?

I like to observe the nature, the way nature connects a flower to a stem, a small branch to a bigger one. Then I try to forget what I saw and make my „own“ nature. Spoons for me are the most essential tools that we have. All over the world they are used. Their form is simple and a spoon can be out of so many materials and forms.

© Gabi Veit

6/ Is Greediness for you a Sin ?

When I observed people eating I was thinking that character influences the way how we eat. A greedy person eats different than a jealous one. So I concentrated myself to the seven deadly sins: pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath and sloth. The research and the working out took me a whole year.

7/ What inspired your Sin collection Creatura in collaboration with Steinbesser ? How did you approach the “utility” concept ?

I make my spoons not really for eating, but for taking and putting salt, sugar, seeds, spices to a dish. When Steinbeisser contacted me I told them, that I want to make spoons which are more comfortable to use, but Steinbeisser said to me „Please, Gabi, make impossible spoons“. So I did – with joy.

8/ What is your relationship with Food, Eating and its Culture?

I love to eat. I love to cook. I’m curious of exploring new ingredients and combinations. I’m totally interested how people cook and eat, what are their rituals, their necessities, their pleasures. Eating is a social matter. Staying on a table with friends and even with people you don’t know, allows intense communication.

© Gabi Veit

9/ People nowadays do not chew and eat properly, and your cutleries challenge them to gain a new approach while eating on a table. What will be your next collection so that it provokes deeper and reflective thinking ?

My new spoon collection will be an homage to important women.

10/ What are your next project(s) about ?

There are many exhibitions in the next months, in Paris and London, in Leipzig and Hamburg. During summer I want to prepare new jewelry pieces and new spoons.

Her art piece can be seen  in her website   and are sold here.