Food is such a diverse medium to work with. It has an amazing range of colors, textures, shapes, sizes, flavors, and each can be manipulated by multitudes of cooking methods and techniques bringing in a whole new range of imagery. Foods’ dynamism is vast: the production and consumption of it constitute community; there are ceremonies and rituals derived because of food; each culture/place has different approaches to food and therefore different rituals, ceremonies and production.
As a designer, food has become a great raw material to work with. It is rich in sensory experience for the user, bringing in the elements of taste, touch, and smell to a project. I am a firm believer of using all five senses (and try to use them all or or as many as possible) not only in my process of finding possible solutions to design or life issues, but also in the end product creating a holistic and rounded experience for the those experiencing the event, product, or concept. I am exploring how we can engage ourselves in finding solutions to problems everywhere from the design team, to communication amongst disparate groups or communities, to the board room.
It seems so natural to infuse language onto food, visualizing and contextualizing what food really does for us: it speaks. So what does it say? More importantly, what does it say to you? How does your past, present, ideas, and personal history impact this? These questions are fundamental to the holistic approach I am seeking in finding solutions. It is because I find that these aspects of ourselves are rarely brought into the equation. By identifying that we as people are dynamic and in no way one dimensional, we are opening up the door to a well-rounded creative approach to problem solving. Through this approach, it is not about airing our dirty laundry, but simply about bringing our whole selves to the table, not denying parts of our selves, and helping contribute to a new way of generating ideas.
Plus, there is something devilishly pleasing about breaking that childhood rule of “don’t play with your food.” It’s time to play, learn, listen, and contribute to some incredible ideas!
