Cheap as Chips: Principles of a Fish Supper
Collection:CSM Museum & Study Collection
Date: 2024
Artist: Milton Stavrou
Dimensions:
1. Brooch: 50 × 60 mm (5 × 6 cm)
2. Bangle: 75 × 95 mm (7.5 × 9.5 cm)
Medium: 1. Give us Five Minutes brooch made from stainless steel and baltic amber
2. "Ta" bangle made from receipt laser engraved onto black and gold anodised aluminium
Object number: J.2026.2.CC.1-2
Description1. "Give us Five Minutes" brooch
2. "Ta" bangle
A brooch resembling chips in a metal frying basket and a bangle resembling a Deliveroo receipt from the chip shop, made as part of Milton Stavrou's Cheap as Chips: Principles of a Fish Supper project. This work was purchased through the Collector's Award and then donated to the CSM Museum & Study Collection.
Description by the maker:
"My father’s fish and chip shop has been a staple to our community for over 54 years. The shop, which previously belonged to my grandfather, has endured many financially difficult times. Today is no different. The current recession, commonly referred to as the cost-of-living crisis has resulted in immense economic instability.
Cheap as Chips: Principles of a Fish Supper is representative of the fact that in today’s economy, a historically economical item such as chips is no longer ‘cheap' or affordable. On the contrary, for many, they are perceived as a small indulgence. This rise in cost has a compounding effect on customers, ultimately altering the interaction between the people and the place. The fish and chip shop has become a place to visit occasionally rather than frequently.
My collection is informed by these contexts. It highlights the struggle between a small business, troubling economic landscapes, and public perception. Traditionally working-class places are forgotten. Communities become localised. Areas become bubbles. In turn, this collection hopes to illuminate overlooked relationships, places, and communities. Encouraging people too ‘keep it local’ and find the value within the simple yet ritualistic act of consuming fish and chips.
2. "Ta" bangle
A brooch resembling chips in a metal frying basket and a bangle resembling a Deliveroo receipt from the chip shop, made as part of Milton Stavrou's Cheap as Chips: Principles of a Fish Supper project. This work was purchased through the Collector's Award and then donated to the CSM Museum & Study Collection.
Description by the maker:
"My father’s fish and chip shop has been a staple to our community for over 54 years. The shop, which previously belonged to my grandfather, has endured many financially difficult times. Today is no different. The current recession, commonly referred to as the cost-of-living crisis has resulted in immense economic instability.
Cheap as Chips: Principles of a Fish Supper is representative of the fact that in today’s economy, a historically economical item such as chips is no longer ‘cheap' or affordable. On the contrary, for many, they are perceived as a small indulgence. This rise in cost has a compounding effect on customers, ultimately altering the interaction between the people and the place. The fish and chip shop has become a place to visit occasionally rather than frequently.
My collection is informed by these contexts. It highlights the struggle between a small business, troubling economic landscapes, and public perception. Traditionally working-class places are forgotten. Communities become localised. Areas become bubbles. In turn, this collection hopes to illuminate overlooked relationships, places, and communities. Encouraging people too ‘keep it local’ and find the value within the simple yet ritualistic act of consuming fish and chips.