Tales of Taste
In collaboration with EMK Center, Dhaka, Luster Dwip has explored the lives of the Chakma people of Bangladesh in the first phase and brought out some of their flavors and memories
Taste doesn’t just start and end only with eating. When and where was eaten, what was eaten, who cooked it, how it was cooked, how it tasted, where it was collected from, who was with them, or why and how everything happened – all these memories accumulate in the mind. Some memories are very ordinary, some happy, some painful, some scary, and some happy. Sometimes its place, time, and person becomes more important than the food itself. Sometimes with the disappearance of the place, time, and person, the food or the taste is lost. This ending can be natural, normal, induced, imposed, replaced, or even repelled. The history of food or taste and the history of human life go hand in hand. The ‘Tales of Taste’ is actually some story that is lost and about to be lost from human lifestyle.
LUSTRE Dwip
LUSTRE Dwip, a project of LUSTRE, is committed to promote the practice and the practitioner community which are anyway connected with art, culture, and heritage. Art is a natural tendency of humankind that was expressed in ancient history among cave living people. Art is the aesthetics practice which not only led the civilization towards productivity but also documents the history and heritage. For the sake of a good social condition, creative and aesthetic activity is one of the essential elements. Creative activities heal mental stress that can prevent violence, intolerance, injustice, and discrimination.
Dwip, which means island in Bengali, is an art platform that seeks to promote modern and contemporary art and culture by bringing into alignment the arts, curatorial practices and current knowledge on art and society. Based in Dhaka, Dwip gallery is primarily focused on the emerging art scene. Dwip curates and stages art exhibitions. Visitors enjoy artworks by artists from all over the country, in different exhibition formats including group shows and solo exhibitions. Dwip is also instrumental in staging artist talks alongside art exhibitions, which turned it into a new magnet for artists, photographers and art connoisseurs.
The EMK Center Dhaka
The Edward M. Kennedy Center ( EMK Center) was established in 2012 by a partnership between the Liberation War Museum and the American Center of the U.S. Embassy in Dhaka. From 2018 the space was managed by the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh(ULAB) until 2022 (September).
The EMK Center is a non-partisan platform committed to open dialogue, informed action, individual and artistic expression, and personal and professional development. We define public service as service on behalf of the people – by anyone, anywhere, anytime.
The EMK Center honors the legacy of public servants worldwide, exemplified by the men and women who fought for Bangladesh’s independence in 1971 and by U.S. Senator Edward M. Kennedy, who was moved to take action then and throughout his life in support of his convictions. In February 1972, Senator Kennedy planted a banyan tree on Dhaka University’s campus as a living tribute to friendship, resilience, and hope, and it stands today.
The JAAGO Foundation has been associated with the EMK Center as its managing partner and the American Center of the Embassy of the United States of America in Bangladesh.