To Taste A Place: A Communal Meal and Screening of Pacukka
Tuesday 12 August, 5.30pm
Research Lounge, Arts West, University of Melbourne
Join us for a shared meal and screening of ‘Pacukka: The Sour Tradition of South Sulawesi’, a short documentary that traces the cultural and ecological significance of souring agents (known collectively as paccukka) in the cuisine of South Sulawesi. A humble ingredient which turns out to shape not just the taste, but also the economy, ecology, and even the spirituality of the community.
Through five vivid portraits—Lime, Camba, Patikala, Kaloko Pao, and Uriang—the film offers a sensory journey across kitchens, riverbanks, forests, and markets, revealing how food is deeply entangled with land, memory, and identity. Presented with warmth and humour, Pacukka explores how the sour palate of the region speaks to a broader cultural philosophy, one that values resilience, improvisation, and relational knowledge. As we taste ingredients drawn from these stories, we invite audiences to reflect on food not only as nourishment, but as a carrier of ancestral memory, ecological care, and embodied wisdom.
This event is part of Air Means Water, a transnational exhibition that navigates the porous boundaries between Indonesia, Singapore, and so-called Australia. Curated by Syaza Nisrina, Nadhila Zakira, and Kathryne Genevieve Honey, at CAVES gallery throughout the month of August. The project foregrounds shared and divergent histories of migration, colonial inheritance, and cultural identity; bringing together the work artists: Agnes Christina, Fyerool Darma, Amrita Hepi, Megan McPherson, Patriot Mukmin, and Shahmen Suku. Air Means Water examines how geopolitical borders shape contemporary life while proposing alternate modes of kinship and solidarity across distance.
Air Means Water is supported by the City of Melbourne, and the SSAF Grant Program at The University of Melbourne.
*We suggest a gold coin donation for entry, all funds will support aid for Palestine and Pay The Rent.
