Batea

A project by Maison D-due for Staub

Video

11′17′′

From May 7th to June 2nd, 2022

Batea is the result of a collaboration between D-due and Staub, firms working in the fields of fashion design and the manufacture of kitchen utensils, respectively. The collaboration arose out of the common features that define the two: high quality standards in both design and production, in which traditional craft is allied with industrial knowhow; and a strong connection to the territories in which they are established: Galicia and Alsace. The vernacular angle is precisely what lends their respective creations something of a wisdom learned and perfected over generations, making for outstanding designs that, each in their own right, constitute paradigms of the creativity of the two cultures.

These are the values that the artist Álvaro Negro has sought to express in Batea, in which Staub’s iconic cocottes travel hand in hand with an anonymous figure dressed by Maison D-due to the Ría de Arousa, an estuary in the province of Galicia. The film captures the landscape and its inhabitants without filters, from a vantage point that takes in the surroundings in synchrony with the ebb and flow of the tides. In all of the images there is a vibration, a contagious rhythm, whether of the throbbing of the motors or the sound of the waves, of the voices of the sailors or the silence of the fish on the deck. The other characters are the estuary itself, the light between sea and sky, the rocky beach, the mackerel, mussels, and crabs, and an octopus prepared “Galician style,” after having been “frightened.” The protagonist, perhaps angelic in nature, is a being foreign to the habitat, who begins its journey as a mere observer but, as the story develops, undergoes a transformational immersion into the surroundings.

A Batea is a flat-bottomed platform/craft put in the sea for the cultivation of mussels and other mollusks. It is a typical sight along the coastal landscapes of Galicia.

Octopus, Galician Style

1. It is very important to soften up the octopus before cooking it. Traditionally, this is done by beating it against a stone. Alternatively, it can be frozen. The result is practically the same: the meat becomes more tender. So we need to freeze it, if it has been purchased fresh, or simply purchase it frozen.
2. Take the octopus out of the freezer a day in advance and leave in the refrigerator to thaw. It is important to place it in a large bowl or casserole dish, because a large amount of liquid will be released.
3. Before cooking it, rinse under cold water to remove any possible impurities.
4. Set a pan full of water to boil. Do not add salt: the salt is added when the octopus is ready to serve.
5. When the water is boiling, add the octopus. This is done by taking it by the head and “frightening” it, which consists of putting it into the pan and taking it out three times, so that it becomes tender and the skin does not fall off during the cooking process.
6. Cook the octopus for 35-40 minutes at medium heat, depending on the size (for an octopus of 1.8-2.0 kilos, 30-35 minutes should be sufficient).
7. Test with a fork occasionally to see how hard it still is.
8. While the octopus is cooking, clean and peel the potatoes and cut them in halves. Set them to one side.
9. When the octopus has been cooked, turn off the heat and leave it to sit for a couple of minutes before removing it from the pan.
10. In the same water, cook the potatoes for 15 minutes. If you do not wish the potatoes to take on the pinkish color of the water in which the octopus has been cooked, use a different pan.
11. Cut up the octopus with kitchen shears, the legs into slices one centimeter thick and the head into small pieces.
12. Serve on a wooden plate on a bed of potatoes. Season with sea salt, a sprinkling of paprika (sweet or hot), and a dash of extra virgin olive oil.

D-due is a creative studio that work in multiple areas whose interaction defines a lifestyle project rather than an exclusively fashion project. Charo Froján and Alfredo Olmedo are the design team behind D-due. Inspired by the rural traditions of the province of Galicia in Spain, their work reflects a dialogue between the profession of tailoring and the physical environment.

Charo Froján is responsible for technical development, volumetric measurement, and clothing engineering at D-due. She studied fashion design in Barcelona before moving to Milan, where she fine-tuned her technical skills in dressmaking and the handling of fabrics. Her interest in pattern design originated in the family business of her early years, a tailoring operation founded by her parents in rural Galicia (Spain) in 1960. The pieces created by D-due are currently produced in the very same place.

Alfredo Olmedo is responsible for the conceptual design, drafting, and artistic creation of D-due creations. Equipped with a cultural and esthetic experience garnered from a childhood spent in his family’s bookshop and graphic arts studio, he went on to study graphic design in Barcelona. Collaborations with various artists and fashion design projects led to his meeting Charo and becoming a part of D-due.

d-due.com