news details

Put a dash of creative photography in the pan, spice it up a little with a good splash of stories, let it simmer down with an online gallery and serve complete with a multimedia DVD.

This was the recipe for the latest project led by Crucial Interactive Media, who collaborated on an innovative project which was launched last month during the city’s annual Festival of Food and Drink.

“The idea came to me at an Eat Local banquet in York earlier this year,” explained James Houston of Crucial Interactive Media. “Each of the eight courses was introduced a local food producer who had supplied the ingredients, and it was fascinating.

James teamed up with photographer friend Dominic Ibbotson, of Newton-on-Ouse, and within a month from start to finish the two of them, together with help from other members of York’s Creation network, had produced a book, an exhibition, a website and a DVD – all focussing on the extraordinary stories of local food producers who do things a little differently.

Audio work for the DVD was produced by the BBC. TV celebrity chef Brian Turner launched the exhibition and book on 12 September 2003 at Impressions Gallery of Photography in York, which attracted TV, radio and newspaper coverage. In his foreword to the book Turner commented:

“This beautiful little book is delightfully different from so many of the food books on the market, in that it tells the stories behind the real people who fill our larders and fridges. To be the best, they have to be a little special, and reading through these pieces and reflecting on the photography we gain a sense of how remarkable and dedicated these people are.”

James Houston, who is as enthusiastic about the values in food production as he is about multimedia projects, said: “It’s all too easy to get bogged down in business and marketing. With Provenance, it was great to use our creativity and technology in new ways, breaking into new markets, and producing something challenging, meaningful, and rather beautiful."

And now the exhibition is going on tour, starting at The Durham Ox in Crayke, near Easingwold, complete with a multimedia installation, and will then start a tour of the region. The book is available via the website at www.provenance.org.uk and at selected bookshops.

The project was sponsored by The Yorkshire & Humber Regional Food Group and by Crucial Interactive Media.