Five Questions: Bompas & Parr Posted on September 16, 2009 by Megan Z
[Five questions to SFMOMA visitors, artists, staff, or guests. Harry Parr and Sam Bompas are jellymongers who will be giving a performance this Thursday, in conjunction with the exhibition Sensate: Bodies and Design. Bompas & Parr claim to spend so much time together that they have become psychic, so for this interview Harry answered for Sam and Sam answered for Harry.]
Harry Parr and Sam Bompas
Name/Place of residence/Occupation/Hobby?
Harry: Sam Bompas, London, jellymonger, and his hobby is shopping for bowties.
Sam: How did you know? Wow, you are psychic. Harry Parr, London. He lives in Bermondsey actually, opposite a rather attractive pub. He is an architectural food-smith. His hobby is – I’m tempted to mention something about the razzmatazz trousers because Harry has the most extraordinary collection of brightly colored trousers I’ve ever seen in my entire life. I guess it’s the job though, really. In Harry’s studio he has a rather improbable collection of industrial machinery, ranging from vast industrial humidifying equipment to Vac Formers.
Do you collect anything?
Harry: He collects bow ties which I think I mentioned. He collects books as well. He’s got a very large collection of books about food, about the history of food and also lots of very intellectual literature, which I don’t understand but he does read and tells tales from it but it’s beyond me.
Sam: Again, the natty trousers. Like Congo Natty. I like to think of Harry as a collector of experience and life experience.
Harry: That’s really funny. That is what I would say that I collect.
Sam: Well that’s because we are psychic, Harry. That’s the only reason we’re able to determine these things. So it’s not so much about the object itself but a collector of life.
