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Notes on ART

ZEITNOT, a short film by luoghiCOMUNI and chef Ernst Knam

Stella Manferdini

Notes on ART

07.12.22

Keywords:

Art , Sustainability , High cuisine

“Throughout history, the figure of the architect has always been associated with the one who makes significant decisions for the community, because what he builds is supposed to survive time, both physically and in terms of impact on people and the environment. On the basis of these principles, our studio believes that places are to be considered spaces with a function. Thus, architects should represent a conception of the future world in which the common objectives are attention to the quality of life and respect of Earth, starting from zero-impact buildings. Every design project must have at its core the human being and, respecting the increasingly limited use of resources, not be a mere exercise in style, but rather the creation of something that allows the individuals who use it to give the best of themselves” – the team of luoghiCOMUNI explained to us.

The contest, born in 2015 from an idea of Italian engineer Nicola Sardano, is a real challenge to creativity, intended both in terms of design and cuisine. Indeed, it asks chefs, architects and designers to collaborate in the creation of new food concepts, between research and awareness-raising of current issues. It is precisely this last factor that constitutes the thematic node of ZEITNOT, in which the theme of convivium – a common thread that necessarily links all this year’s projects ¬– and the denunciation of climate change are linked in a visual exploit.

Written and directed by Carlo Roberti and produced by Struttura Film, ZEITNOT handles in an original way the theme of global warming and the risk of extinction of bees in a video in which subtle references and visual metaphors are the protagonists. The frame and background of the message is that of a chess match – it is not by chance that “zeitnot” in German indicates a situation in which a chess player finds himself having little time to complete his moves. In this case, the term has a double meaning, namely the urgency for man to face the consequences of the serious climate crisis and to end the game victoriously.

Entering the details of the visual story, it sees positioned at the two ends of a checkerboard of hexagonal tiles – a clear reference to the world of bees – Ernst Knam, who carries on the responsibility of the climate challenge, and the Goddess Nature, interpreted by the model Susanna Bianchi. The homage of the pieces for the chess set, a unique chocolate creation of the Chef, would seem at first to induce the Goddess to forgive humanity for its mistakes. However, the threshold of no return has been crossed and the little chocolate bees begin to melt and collapse on the playing field. It is at this point that Knam is awakened by the wrath of the goddess. In his lab the chessboard is still intact and the bees are all sorted at the top of the chessboard. However, even here, the echo of a dream that, perhaps, of a dream had very little, reaches the ending of the short film.

As for the development of this collaboration with Ernst Knam, the team of luoghiCOMUNI has told us to have been asked by Foodies Challenge to defend its title of winner, achieved in the previous edition together with the star chef Cristina Bowerman with the project “Io ti Sosterrò” – “I will support you” – in support of Val di Fiemme. For this new edition, given the current climate emergency and the increase in temperature, the idea was that of the technique of tempering chocolate for the importance that the increase of a single degree centigrade has in both cases. For this reason they thought that the only person they could go to was “The King of Chocolate”, namely Ernst Knam, who is also known for his sensitivity towards such issues.