AFTER THE MEAL: A Taste For Excess | PASCALE GOMES-MCNABB rearranges William Johnston’s Collection

Pascale Gomes-McNabb is well-known internationally as a designer of hospitality venues including her co-owned Melbourne restaurants, Cumulus Inc.and Cutler & Co. So, the theme she has chosen After The Meal: A taste for excess will come as no surprise to those who follow her career.

In thinking about the proposal, Gomes-McNabb arrived at the idea of serving up themed culinary delights by exploring meals, or aspects of eating, over the course of a day in each room of Fairhall.

The drama will be the food and the furnishings with Gomes-McNabb working with some well known chefs including Shannon Bennett, Chui Lee Luk, Karen Martini, Neil Perry, Nicolas Poelaert, Pierre Francois Roelofs, Brent Savage & Jock Zonfrilloto to create the memory of sublime dishes for each room, and a recipe to take home. Table settings will dazzle with silver, glass, gold and porcelain, creating rich tablescapes evocative of hedonistic consumption and excess.

Also included will be a series of site specific installations based on the meals created by the chefs in collaboration with  Amanda Morgan/artist and James Morgan,/photographer .

Gomes-McNabb and her contributors will inspire further new ways of thinking about the Collection long after the meal has been devoured.

Above: attributed to Jan Fyt untitled (still life with cats) circa 1650

 (A0972-1989)