Biennale of Sydney

Randy Lee Cutler

Born 1964 in Montreal, Canada
Lives and works in Vancouver, Canada

Randy Lee Cutler is an interdisciplinary artist whose practice weaves together themes of collaboration, materiality, science and fiction. Taking the form of walks, performance, collage, printed matter, installation, video, audio and creative writing, she has produced numerous hybrid projects that engage with conversation and research.

Encouraging a non-linear and multivalent encounter with crystal formations and their human relationships, Randy Lee Cutler’s Mineral Collection unfolds across: SaltWalks, three performative walks sharing unique stories about this ubiquitous mineral; Rock Album, a sound work exploring deep time, mineral extraction and medicine; and The Underworld, a series of three poster artworks, available each month during the 22nd Biennale from the Mineral Garden – a collaborative installation with Andrew Rewald which acts as a speculative portal into the hyper-terrestrial, presenting hybridised narratives and connections. Overall, Cutler’s project considers the ubiquitous presence of minerals in daily life, existing and interacting within our bodies, the foods we eat and the technologies we use. Taking the metaphor of the geological dig, Mineral Collection mines for stories and connections from the past, present and future to better contemplate our human interactions with these earthly deposits.

A collaboration at the National Art School between Randy Lee Cutler and Andrew Rewald, Mineral Garden, is a speculative portal that takes the viewer through an alternative spacetime of hyper terrestriality. Glints and facets of these realms are revealed through the entanglement of collages, posters, mineral specimens and archival objects. A reading area supports the project with significant books that have inspired the collaboration. Mineral Garden hybridises botanical organisms in the soil and the geological forms beneath our feet to cultivate narrative pasts, alternative presents and possible futures. The installation speculates on the secret life of plants and minerals, revealing their hybridised potential for emergent worlds and lifeforms

About the Horta & Mash Recipe 

Horta is the Greek name for a meal of foraged wild greens popular in rural Mediterranean cultures. It is made from any seasonal edible plant, boiled into a pulp-like broth. Known as a soothing medicinal comfort food, the residual bitter liquid is prized by the elderly as a restorative broth. A generous dose of fruity virgin olive oil and lemon juice balances the leafy bitterness.

The bitter taste in many plants is a warning to predators of potentially poisonous food. In small doses such bitter foods are medicinal because they stimulate our body’s defence system, which enhances our antioxidant system to protect against disease. In the wild, all plants work hard to survive which means in general their immune systems are strong and are generally higher in minerals and vitamins than cultivated varieties. It helps to know a little about different plants we eat. For instance, the mucilaginous juice of Purslane (pigweed) soothes digestion, aided by its anti-inflammatory and analgesic qualities, but is high in oxalic acid which is problematic in high doses.

Food tells us about the migration of plants and people. I was introduced to horta by a Greek friend in Melbourne 2012 when I became interest in foraging. The story of her family’s migration from Greece to Australia caught my imagination, upon hearing that her aunts had brought seed of various wild leafy greens and spread them in parks for a plentiful supply; an historically common practice that connects migrant communities to a new land. One Germanic ancestor of mine was documented carrying seed of 60 edible species when migrating to Australia. Mashed potato is a dish that speaks of my father’s family, from potato farms in Northern Germany they migrated during the 19th Century Prussian diaspora to grow potatoes in Queensland’s South Burnett region.

You can find edible plants suitable for horta no matter where you live. Autumn is the best time of year in Australia to find Eurasian edible weeds. In most climate zones you can always find common weeds like Dandelion, Plantain, Purslane and Amaranth, with Fat Hen, Nettle and Mallow restricted to more temperate areas.

Note: Foraging can be dangerous. ‘The Weed Foragers Handbook’ is a great introduction to identifying these plants. Each plant in this recipe is currently growing in Alchemy Garden at the National Art School and has been picked from my garden and a nearby park, because I know they are chemical free. Seek advice if you want to start foraging and always carry a book to identify plants if you are a novice. Why? The sister of a friend was recently in intensive care and her boyfriend in a coma due to misidentifying a poisonous plant.

But don’t worry! Any combination of edible leaves from the supermarket is also okay. Avoid Asian greens except Chinese broccoli.

Tip: younger leaves are always more tender (think spinach, rocket). Mature leaves are tough and require longer cooking time to break down fibres (think common kale, cavolo nero/black kale).