A Presentation on Capsicum alongside Soda and Zine Making Workshops Led by Kim M. Reynolds
On 3rd July 2026, G.A.S. Lagos hosted Assorted Stories of Capsicum, an evening featuring a presentation on the history of Capsicum, the genus of plants that includes peppers and chillies, alongside soda and zine-making workshops led by Kim M. Reynolds.
The evening began with Kim introducing her practice and sharing the origins of Home Spice, a culinary project that explores the history of capsicum in Black cuisines through both research and cooking. Reflecting on her residency at the G.A.S. Farm House in Ikiṣẹ, she spoke about experimental cooking, knowledge exchange with fellow residents, cultivating crops on the farm, and conducting research with herbalists. These experiences informed her research into the movement of peppers through colonialism and the transatlantic slave trade, while exploring the histories of flavour, memory, and wellbeing they continue to carry today. The presentation concluded with a lively Q&A, where attendees asked thoughtful questions about her research and its future directions.
Following the presentation, visitors took part in a soda-making workshop using syrups Kim had developed from ingredients grown and sourced during her time, including lemongrass, alligator pepper, hibiscus, pepper soup spice, and tamarind. Using sparkling water as a base, participants mixed and combined the syrups to create their own drinks, experimenting with different flavour combinations.
The evening concluded with a collaborative zine-making workshop. Kim introduced participants to a simple thread-binding technique before leading a short free-writing exercise centred on memory. Using their reflections as a starting point, attendees created their own zine pages through writing, drawing, and collage, bringing together personal stories inspired by the evening's conversations around food.
Event Details
Date: 3rd July, 2026
Time: 4:00pm - 6:00pm
Location: 9b, Hakeem Dickson Drive, off T.F. Kuboye Road, Oniru, Lagos
About the Facilitator
About Kim M. Reynolds
Kim M. Reynolds is a writer, educator, and maker. She works across the fields of arts writing, politics, and food, focusing on the histories of pan-Africanism, ritual, social justice and arts movements on the continent of Africa and its diaspora (and their pitfalls). Reynolds runs Home Spice, a culinary project on the history of capsicum in Black cuisines, utilising both literature and cooking. She holds master's degrees in Media Studies from LSE and UCT, with work published in monographs, poetry anthologies, and over 30 bylines in publications like Mail & Guardian, and ContemporaryAnd. Reynolds has lectured widely and enjoys teaching the most. She will be in residency at the Zeitz MOCAA later this year with her publishing collective (B)andWi(d)th. Lastly, she co-leads Our Data Bodies, a collective examining how big tech and surveillance reproduce coloniality.Originally from Ohio and of Jamaican heritage, she has lived in South Africa for eight years.
Kim's residency is generously supported by the Terra Foundation for American Art.
