Gold-plated, bronze cast fava bean from la Sala’s allotment, on a 50cm gold-plated chain.

Limited edition of 30

Sent in plant-dyed linen and packaging designed by Mariana Sameiro and the artist. Printed at R-Dryer Studio in Brussels.

This work is the second part of FAVAS, a set of limited editions by Inês that were commissioned by la Sala in 2020.

Photography by Lottie Hampson

Please note, this is a pre-order for our third casting of FAVAS. Your fava will be cast and plated at the workshop in London, taking approx 4 weeks to process.

Favas, fresh out of their pods, sold cosy in see-through plastic bags at the saturday market.

Mum would cook them with chouriço (well, an onion first, and lots of olive oil, salt – what is a stew without them to start), juicy with a pinch of fresh tomato.

Last summer, in a hopeful month between lockdowns, I made tiny statues to fava. Starting in wax, then clay, then bronze, small sculptures to be held and carried in our pockets – or around our necks – weighty reminders of the importance of regenerative, symbiotic care practices, of supported sustenance, of what actually really holds us together.

Inês Neto dos Santos is a multi-disciplinary artist, born in Lisbon and based in London/Brussels. She completed an MA in Visual Communication at Royal College of Art (2016) and a BA in Graphic Design and Illustration at London College of Communication (2013). Her practice moves between performance, installation and social sculpture, investigating the socio-political implications and poetic dimensions of what we eat and how we come to eat it. Through her work, she creates frameworks through which to explore conviviality, collaboration, generosity and togetherness. In recent years, she has delved into the practical and metaphorical possibilities of fermentation, as a gateway into our enmeshed, multispecies existence. More recently, her research has taken her into the study of beans and their soil regeneration qualities, investigating their relationship to supported sustenance and care networks. Inês has been a guest lecturer at Kingston University and Westminster University. Since March 2021, she has co-led the online course Food Cosmogonies with artist Nora Silva at the Institute for Postnatural Studies in Madrid.

*

Orders from outside of the UK may be subject to extra import fees and taxes on arrival in your country, please be aware of this before making your order.