Meet the three nominees for the Future Food Design Awards
The internationally renowned Future Food Design Awards jury was greatly impressed by the creativity and diversity of the applications. They had the difficult task to search for the three most innovative and disruptive designs for a culturally rich and sustainable food future. Out of 50 entries from 30 different countries, they selected the following three nominees.
Alexandra Genis with Atoma
‘No artificial aroma‘-labels have become a norm in the marketing of contemporary food products, giving in to consumer demand for the ‘real-deal’. What are the environmental consequences of Western expectations for all natural gustatory experiences? Can nature really produce the amounts of strawberries required for flavouring all the strawberry products on supermarket shelves?
ATOMA is a collection of spices which create flavour by nothing else but pure molecules, inspiring consumers to combine, explore and experiment with different flavouring combinations. In food industry there is a whole branch operating with more than 2000 of molecules to manufacture the flavour profiles of everyday products. Those so called ‘volatile compounds’ are found in all natural foods but can also be recreated in the lab. Companies use volatile compounds to ensure the sensory quality of their existing products and to develop new ones. ATOMA responds to this circumstance by taking industrial molecules and adapting them for the easy use in the domestic kitchen. ATOMA is aimed at demystifying industry while also preparing consumers for future scenarios of limited resources. From the domestic kitchen acceptance of new culinary patterns can take place. After all, what could be more essential than a molecule?
Judge’s call:
The jury believed her critical view on what’s actually ‘natural’ is a very present-day issue that needs to be discussed.
Adelaide Tam with 0.9 Grams of brass
The ‘value’ of life within the meat industry is well hidden behind closed doors by keeping the slaughter process anonymous from society. The deaths of these animals remain unknown and unvalued, while the perception of the consumer is distorted and often misunderstood. Re-evaluating the value of life within the meat industry begins by transforming the 0.9 grams of brass making up the cartridge of the stun gun. After pulling the trigger, the cartridge case is the only piece left over in the killing process. A vending machine is made to question the representation of ethical value in contrast to the monetary value.
The object sold from the machine is made from the 0.9 grams of brass cartridge casings and costs the same price as the bullet itself. It also costs the same amount as the cost of one cow’s life. The resulting brass paperclip (which has its origins in a system of mass production and distribution) is an object consecrated for daily use that serves as a constant reminder of the loss of an animal’s life.
Judge’s call:
The jury was impressed by the quality of the design, and believed that the design very well translates the understanding of the value of animals and transparency of the meat industry.
Kuang-Yi with The Tiger Penis Project
Many cultures have their own systems of alternative medicine, whose effectiveness cannot always be proven according to contemporary scientific analysis. They are usually regarded as mere cultural myths, such as the use of the tiger penis to increase virility in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). At the same time, the huge demand for wild animals in TCM poses a threat to endangered species. Nevertheless, TCM may offer other benefits beyond mainstream western medicine. Is there a way to resolve the conflict between health, culture, and environmental conservation through a new interpretation of traditional Chinese medicine?
Bringing non-western perspectives to speculative design scenarios, this project proposes the use of emerging biotechnologies to create artificial animal parts for Chinese medicine. Combining western and Chinese medicine and technologies, this new hybrid medicine prevents the further destruction of both animals and traditional cultures, and provides more possibilities for the coexistence of human society and the natural environment.
Judge’s call:
The Tiger Penis Project by Kuang-Yi Ku is an exciting mix between tradition and future possibilities, and the jury was keen on his focus on how technology can influence human consumption while still respecting ancient traditions.