Solo Project
The aim of this project was creating a restorative food ritual involving cannabidiol. Despite long history of growing (and eating) cannabis in Europe, it is widely perceived as a new trend coming from the West. YAYko was designed to challenge that perception, embedding CBD in slavic traditions. Drawing on the wax dying technique, a similar process is used with YAYko. Instead of waxing and dying eggs, however, the user paints a spoon with CBD wax, beeswax and butter solution. The spoon is then used for eating and the wax slowly dissolves allowing for a fresh start next time.
Eating has been a part of us before we were really human. We eat before we ever learn to walk, sit, or care what we’re wearing. In our long history of eating, some things stay the same - like the need for sustenance, the need for a community, and belonging.
Other things keep changing - like what we eat. It’s easy to see where it varies across cultures. What tastes ‘good’, and what is ‘healthy’ is a subjective opinion made by different groups. Over time, we also need to consider social, economic, and political factors in our perception of food and hence what is consumed and by whom. Food can also elevate one’s perceived status. Many foods I eat daily like citruses or bananas were a luxury to my parents growing up. Bananas especially became a symbol of wealth in communist Poland where you needed both money and connections to procure the fruit. This sentiment is still felt in the Polish language with the phrase ‘banana kids’ used for (often spoiled) offspring of rich and well-connected elites.
Another plant whose perception has changed hugely is Cannabis. Present in the central-eastern and eastern European region (modern Poland) since 1400 b.c., cannabis sativa was one of the most common cultivated plants. It was commonly used in medicinal and spiritual practices as well as for making textiles and often for eating (especially during special occasions). Cannabis had a special place in Slavic culture with its goddess - Konopielka-Rosomoch. She appeared to those who respected the herb as a beautiful woman, and to those who didn’t as a dangerous creature ready to defend the plant. The use and propagation of cannabis has declined since the beginning of the 20th century. Initially due to the industrial revolution and development of other materials, as well as growing condemnation of the use of the plant in the western countries. Finally, in 1985 (towards the end of the communist regime) cultivation of cannabis was banned without an appropriate license.
In the past couple of decades, the cultivation and use of cannabis has been slowly increasing. It’s still not nearly at the levels it was in the 1960s, and strains containing THC are still illegal. However, as the use of CBD has been increasing in popularity, many see it as a fad coming from the West.
Cannabis has had a long and continuous tradition in Europe, interrupted by the events of the 20th century. As the popularity, cultivation, and consumption of cannabis slowly increases to reinforce it in our culture, what relationship do we want with the plant going forward?