Bereka [Repairing] is a project born from the author’s deep fascination with coffee, which historically has strong ties to colonialism. Over time, coffee has evolved into a vehicle of stories, symbols, and cultural meanings, influencing one of our most common daily rituals. The project is built upon the Ethiopian and Eritrean coffee ceremony, which is traditionally divided into three distinct phases: AWEL, KALE’I, and BEREKA. These phases represent different temporal and symbolic moments of the ceremony.
The project unfolds in three acts:
First and Second Acts: These are research and fieldwork stages, where the author immerses himself in the coffee ceremony, understanding the process and participating in the ritual. These acts serve as preparatory phases, filled with observation and experience.
Third Act: The core of the project takes shape here, when a Jabena (a traditional Ethiopian and Eritrean coffee pot) becomes central. The accidental breaking of the Jabena during the earlier acts represents a turning point. In this final phase, the author revisits the original site of the first two acts to perform the ceremony again, now incorporating the act of “repairing” the broken Jabena.
The essence of the third act lies in this repair—a shared, fluid, and performative process aimed at restoring what has been broken. Through this act, barriers are metaphorically broken down, and boundaries are moved, emphasizing the collective and transformative power of performance and ritual in creating something functional or meaningful, even from what has been damaged.
The project was part of the exhibition “Pratiche di Posizionamento”, held at Villa Romana in Firenze from 12.07.24 to 12.08.24.
Additionally, the exhibition catalog has been published by Corraini edizioni under the title “Pratiche di Posizionamento”.
Photography
Lorenzo Urgesi
Supervisors
Luca Capuano
Alessandro Carrer
Matteo Guidi
Armin Linke
A special thanks to the people of Spin time labs, especially Asli and Maurita, who always welcomed me and were available for a coffee at any moment.
Urbino, Roma, Firenze, 2022-2024.
