Assembly Required

As part of the Performance Studies international conference (PSi #29: Assemble) in London, Spatula&Barcode hosted attendees at Hoxton Hall for an ''assemble-your-own'' sweet and savory cookie bar, featuring our signature homemade spice cookies and classic British oat wafers as the base options.  Toppings on the sweet side included chocolate and vanilla icing, caramel, lemon curd, black cherry conserve, and bitter orange marmalade, alongside decorations such as rainbow stars and confetti and marzipan and fondant ampersands. The savory offerings included taramasalata, boursin, hummus, and clotted cream (also used in some sweeter constructions), garnishable with Anglesey sea salt, tellicherry peppercorns, and hot chili flakes. Over the course of two evenings, about one thousand cookies were decorated and eaten.

The event aimed to enhance conviviality among attendees in Hoxton Hall, an historic venue geographically distant from conference HQ but programmatically central to the experience. Towards this end, we printed and distributed hand-sealed invitations and partnered with F. Cooke Pie and Mash (on the same block) shop to offer a chance to sample classic local specialties such as jellied eel. “Assembly Required” dovetailed with other activities at Hoxton Hall, such as book and journal launches, working groups, and performances.