Feed Your Imagination

IF I COULD, WOULD I?

2009-06-09T22:39:00.004+01:00

I have to say that I am really proud of being part of the Evocative Foods team. I am kind of perfectionist also and I think that a lot of things could have been done better but a friend reminded me yesterday that it was a CLASS PROJECT!!

We really pushed the briefing forward, that is why we see that things weren't professional enough but, in general, people had fun, enjoyed the experience (the food, the place, the images) and talked between them!!

In my opinion, we SHOULD GO for another one but there are some points I would like to remark (my opinion):
- We should be more conscious of the budget at all times (if we want to be professional, let's be professional with everything)
- We need to anticipate any creative material in order to approve it before and have more time to improve and correct!
- Things out of control: It wasn't our fault that food wasn't ready, next time we will be aware of this fact and have, at least, the cocktails and some dishes served by the official opening time (we organized it to start at 7 so basic things should be ready for 7)

But, in general, really GOOD JOB!! I have to say that my contacts said that we really proposed a different concept in there. They loved the place, the visuals, the kind of dishes we were serving and our efforts. Of course, they had to wait a bit at the beginning, but it was not the end of the world for them!

We should learn from criticism but REMEMBER, CONSTRUCTIVE ONE, I don't think the negative review was very constructive...it pointed out some good points about organization that we should take into account but in a destructive way and really, if you don't understand a concept, you can never say how to improve it, you are not adding value!!

MLL

The good, the ok, and the ugly

2009-06-08T02:35:00.004+01:00

A few reviews are in:

Meaghan of Spoonfed wrote on her personal blog a very kind review.

Chris of Londonist made a brief report and also took some great photos.

Andrew Webb wrote on his blog Eyedropper about how much the whole thing sucked and his friends thanked him for bringing ham to snack on in the comments.

I can take compliments and criticism, but neither are really easy to hear when I'm a bit of a perfectionist and feel that things could be done better, but also know that some things that need improving arent in my control.

I cant speak for the rest of the team, but it was a learning experience and a lot of things happened in the last few days before the event that caused us to be spread thin.

On Thursday we had a plan. We had a chart of stations, how to conduct flow, and how to make sure everyone received their tastings.

We got ambushed.

But I admit Andrew is correct when he says we failed at having at least the cocktails ready. I think we were a little surprised about this too, but I figured it'd be under control by the time the first...uh oh...people are coming in and ... well, if you were there you know what happened.

I've hosted plenty of dinner parties. I put my name out there on this thing. I was not going to go down without a fight. What's funny is that we all had friends there who were willing to be patient, enjoy the company of others, and have fun. There were a few people who seemed to miss the point of the experience, or perhaps just didnt understand it. Fine. But ya know what: ASK!

This was not a smoothly run process. We spent more time in the kitchen than we did getting to mingle and see what people were thinking. This is what our tutors would call 'artefact iteration' where we test our ideas, incorporate the feedback, and try again.

While this has been designed as a series, who knows when/if another will happen. I'd like the opportunity to try again and get it right, but the other part of me is now scared that if it still doesnt go well that I'll feel a sense of failure.

We worked hard. Really hard. Yes, there were typos in the book (our control) and not enough alcohol (budget controlled), but there were people who came, ate, and enjoyed and I need to concentrate on those people who really gave the experience a chance and not let one negative voice break me.

km

And now we sleep....

2009-06-05T14:59:00.003+01:00

After the explosive event we held yesterday, I am now ready to sleep...the excitement preceding the event caused a lot of inner tension and worries and that can now be released and I think I can safely say, that for myself and all of the team - what a wonderful evening!
As Maria has said, it was hard work, I myself seemed to spend the night drying the never ending circulation of plates...so didn't get to experience it fully but from what people said, the atmosphere and the fact that we pratically had to kick people out and back to their homes shows what a success this event has been!!! Thank you so much to everyone that helped, and the wonderful team of which I was lucky enough to be part of, working with you all has been wonderful. And now we can sleep...
KR

VIBRANT EVENING

2009-06-05T12:39:00.002+01:00

And now it is over!! We worked a lot, helped a lot in the kitchen so I can't really say how the event went, I was preparing and serving creations!! ;)

I really think that, although we discovered several mistakes and understood how things could have been better, we really made SOMETHING, something differente, enchanting and new!!

I am really proud of us and have to thank you all team for your effort!
It has been a pleasure working for you and I hope we can repeat it soon!!

MLL

Today's the Day!

2009-06-04T10:04:00.002+01:00

After lots of little meetings, from Tuesday at Nuno's to last night's whispers during class, today has arrived and it's GO TIME!

The plan is to meet at Nuno's at 2pm to prepare the space. We will be setting up the reception area, projector, moving some furniture, testing the sound and making sure Nuno has all the items he needs.

Then, we'll take a short break to freshen up and change clothes for the event. The idea is to wear black with some bright accessories. We want people to identify us quickly, hence the opposite color of our event's colors. Besides, no one wanted to wear matching shirts!

We have bags to sell and an awesome publication for the attendees to keep to read about our journey, and more importantly, and see the menu for the evening.

We are still receiving messages from people wanting to come and people asking to be on the mailing list. I even have a few asking about future dates.

This has been an excellent learning experience. We're already kicking ourselves about the cost of certain things, so we'll know for next time how to set the budget more appropriately. This has probably been one of the most educating experiences for us - business, marketing, retail, design and PR are all part of this.

Here's looking forward to tonight!!!

km

SOLD OUT

2009-05-20T23:22:00.002+01:00

We sold out the event tonight. In fact, we're oversold +2. Suberb!

We had a great team meeting. The visuals are going to be assembled by Valentina using color blocks and textured movement. Music/sound is being worked on by Kristy and her partner. Rein and Maria are taking Friday to workshop the menu and info publication. Alex is dealing with PayPal and bank account fun stuff. Pic and Yui are doing a fantastic job coming up with flow charts for the crowd and a check-in procedure, and all around ambiance. I am going to get all the contacts sorted to send out an email to next week that will begin their journey.

It's been a crazy couple of weeks since we went live and we've had some great feedback, some interesting correspondence, and even some business proposals. It's great. I'm really feeling like this is really coming together.

We're looking forward to Nuno's safe return from Kenya tomorrow and meeting with him again soon to wrap up some last details before game time.

I still want to say a big thank you to the team for sticking with the project during this hectic time of getting our MA questions defined. You all are great.

km

Nuno's Excellent Review!

2009-05-20T23:18:00.002+01:00

The Loft is our little secret
Restaurant Reviews: The Loft
By MARINA O’LOUGHLIN - Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Shhh: Here’s a tantalising glimpse of the wildly innovative and exciting restaurant The Loft

There's an entertaining book by James Delingpole called Fish Show, in which a disaffected restaurant critic starts making up reviews of an increasingly lunatic nature. To his astonishment and horror, the bizarre establishments he invents begin to appear in real life. Pure, bonkers fantasy, of course.

Ahem. On April 1, I inflicted on you my own invented gaff, The Vault, a private restaurant and closely guarded secret I'd unearthed on Twitter, where the classically trained chef imposed dishes of a challenging and technically brilliant nature on his captive (literally) audience of wealthy foodies.

Perhaps as an apology to all of you who were worryingly keen to be subjected to The Vault's dubious charms (especially the chap really keen to work there; something about the manacles, I'm guessing), I bring you The Loft.

Underground restaurant, no publicity; chef Nuno Mendes trained at the legendary El Bulli, disovered via stray tweet (thanks @londonelicious or @MsMarmitelover or whoever it was). Course after course of extraordinary, sometimes demanding food. Nosebleeding bill. The only thing missing is the handcuffs.

I first encountered Mendes's food in the short-lived, brave Bacchus in Shoreditch and came away goggle-eyed. Now, in a small domestic kitchen in a funky East End loft-style development, he's churning out stuff that's every bit as out there: 12 courses, each one more abstruse than the last, all flawlessly presented, exactingly executed and wildly innovative.

Twelve courses, each one more abstruse than the last, all flawlessly presented, exactingly executed and wildly innovative

There's only the one table. At first, it's like being at a slightly awkward dinner party with strangers and a host who's permanently glued to the stove. Retrospectively, I wish I'd been nosier and glued myself in there with him, but hey.

Things relax over cocktails – lychee, lemongrass with a slick of hazelnut oil – and glorious, fluffy, saffrony cheesey gougères, like the poshest Portuguese pão de queijo. And croutons with rich, garlicky romesco. So far, so normal. Then the food proper starts arriving – over five hours of it, each course with matching wines.

A blow-by-blow account would be overkill but if I say that the most conventional dish is called Thai Explosion With Chicken Skin, it might give you an inkling of what we're in for.

How about this? Milk Yuba – milk skin harvested and rolled like Japanese soy-tofu skin – with slippery hearts of leek, a curl of perfectly smoky seared squid echoing the smokiness of mushroom consommé, dotted with delicate flavour bombs of garlic blossom.

Or this doozy: Oysters And Onions, Old And New? An oyster glazed with cheese – the perfect encapsulation of 'fifth taste' umami – with what looks like an egg yolk but is actually onion purée 'spherified'; super-dried onion dust; and, poured over the top, dark brown, onion-flavoured tapioca pearls. If any of this sounds as though it's verging on the vile (and I'm aware it might), be assured that nothing could be further from the truth.

There are prawns served with pipettes of prawn essence, for injecting the crustacean or squirting straight down your gullet. Puddings made with orange pith (surprisingly gorgeous) or candied black olives. There are sightings of umeboshi (Japanese pickled plums) and sobrasada (a spreadable sausage) oil and Portuguese chawanmushi (savoury custard).

It's less like dinner and more like a kind of drug-induced happening. How the hell does the charming, self-deprecating Nuno do it?

Just like the fictional Vault, we reel into the street, dizzied by what we've experienced. But, unlike my fantasy, it's an experience I can't wait to repeat. And when Nuno's new restaurant, Viajante, opens in Bethnal Green in 2010, I'm so there.

A meal for two with all wines and water costs £200 (advance booking essential). The Loft, Unit 2a, 315 Kingsland Road. www.nunomendes.co.uk Tube: Old Street

Vital foods are RAW

2009-05-13T11:12:00.000+01:00

THE RAW FACTS
Proponents say not cooking can do a body good
BY KAREN FELDMAN cuisine@floridaweekly.com

DEMI MOORE, WHOSE TAUT body and flawless skin belie her 47 years, proudly goes raw. So do Alicia Silverstone and Beyonce, Angela Bassett and Donna Karan. Famed Chicago chef Charlie Trotter has devoted a whole book to the subject.

The raw food movement has become a hot — uh, make that cool — form of vegetarianism that champions uncooked vegetables, fruits, seeds, nuts, grains, beans and seaweed as the staples of a healthy diet.

In recent years, restaurants devoted to raw food have opened around the country. Vibe Cuisine (formerly Veggie Magic) in Sarasota is the closest one to Southwest Florida, but raw fare is cropping up around the area, appearing on restaurant menus, starring in (un)cooking classes and sparking the formation of groups in Fort Myers, Cape Coral and Naples through which members share meals, recipes and information about the raw life.

Mr. Trotter, better known for his cooked cuisine, added some mainstream mojo to the movement with his how-to tome, "Raw" (Ten Speed Press).

Here's the basic premise of the raw, or living foods, diet: Enzymes found in food provide vital energy to the body. When food is heated to more than 106 degrees, those enzymes die, robbing food of nutrients and causing it to become toxic, forcing the body's immune system to fight against it. Eating raw, unprocessed food bolsters the immune system, allowing it to heal and protect the body.

David Dyer, who holds doctoral degrees in naturophaty and science, prepares a raw food meal.
To omnivores accustomed to the standard American diet, called SAD by those who eat raw, the concept can be perplexing since they eat little but salads and fruit uncooked. But inventive raw chefs produce a cornucopia of tasty dishes without benefit of meat or dairy, stove, oven, microwave or fryer.

At recent local raw food gatherings, participants dined on lime-agave margaritas, apple-jicama salad, kelp salad, spicy mango ginger soup, burritos, apple pie and chocolate-chili brownies, among other uncooked dishes.

More than salad, but not more work

"Raw food isn't just about plain salad," says Charles Marble, who runs Mangroves Health Institute in Naples. "It can be as gourmet as you can possibly imagine."

Sprouts
Eschewing labels, he doesn't categorize himself as a "raw foodist" and doesn't preach that raw is the only way to eat. But he does conduct weekly classes in how to prepare fresh, uncooked fare in creative ways. Everyone is welcome, no matter what they eat.

"It's wise to eat sensibly," Mr. Marble says. "We need more whole fresh foods in the American diet."

Many clients of Mangroves Health Institute are raw food enthusiasts, he says. "I try to encourage people to integrate these fresh, whole foods in their diet. You need to decide how much and how far you want to go with it. You should do it with pleasure, because it feels good."

There are some basic skills required to follow the diet. Raw foodists grow their own sprouts, employ powerful juicers to create nutritious vegetable and fruit blends, and rely on temperature controlled dehydrators to produce crisp crackers, nuts and seeds. They also use organic ingredients, which aren't as readily accessible in Southwest Florida as they are in some other places.

Nori Rolls
"Some people think raw food is a lot of work," says David Dyer, a Cape Coral-based health and wellness coach who holds doctoral degrees in naturopathy and science. "It's not really (a lot of work) if you have the right tools. When I'm finished fixing a meal, I'm not going to be in the kitchen for hours scrubbing greasy pots and pans. Clean-up in a raw food kitchen is quick and easy."

The most important tool, he says, is a good (un)cookbook, of which there are many. A juicer, a dehydrator and a mandoline (slicer) enhance the raw cook's ability to produce a broad range of recipes with relative ease. Variety is the spice

Doing it properly and in a way that doesn't create boredom takes practice.

"You need a lot of variety, different colors - reds, yellows, purples, those are powerful foods," Dr. Dyer says. "Sprouts are the most nutritious food on earth."

He advises anyone considering a raw food diet not to make the same few recipes all the time. Diversity is important to nutrition and to prevent boredom. Attending meetings of the local living food groups helps, too, because people share their recipes and knowledge.

Walnut plate
"We learn from each other," says Tarrita Brown, who runs the Cape Coral group and has been a raw foodist for four years. "My hope is people will get to know each other well and start having dinner at each other's houses."

She's a glowing example of the benefits of a raw food diet. She's been 100 percent raw for four years while her three teen-aged children and husband vary from 50 percent to 80 percent. She's fit, with healthy-looking skin and abundant energy. "I get mistaken for my (14-year-old) daughter a lot," she says. "We wear the same size clothes. A lot of people think we're twins, but we're 31 years apart."

Be a 'Rawkstar'

Alone or in groups, proponents say they reap great rewards in the form of improved health, a stronger immune system, increased energy and optimism.

Another champion of the uncooked is Bethany Tait of Naples.

Brooke Wagenheim
At 17, Ms. Tait says, "I had fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome and colitis. I was on antidepressants, antibiotics, all kinds of medicines. I was also 50 pounds overweight. I got to the point that I was bedridden. Doctors didn't give me any hope that my condition would get better."

So she prayed. And not long afterward, she read a magazine article about raw food. She decided to try it and found that it made a remarkable difference in her health, her weight and, subsequently, her life.

Six years later, Ms. Tait takes no medications, never has to worry about her weight and feels great. She teaches classes on how to make quick and easy raw food recipes, and she plans what she calls "Rawkstar" events: raw foodbased parties she hopes will appeal to people her age. Among those are a May 22 ice cream social and as-yet-unscheduled "Eta Raw Pi" parties, which have the spirit of fraternity gatherings minus the smoking, drinking and drugs.

"I want to party and have a good time," she says, "but there were no activities that seemed healthy, so I decided to create them myself."

Brooke Wagenheim had much the same inspiration when she recently opened Chef Brooke's Natural Café on Boy Scout Drive in Fort Myers, where everything's organic and there are raw food options daily.

After she went raw about 15 years ago, Ms. Wagenheim says, she lost 30 pounds in less than a month and felt energized and healthy. She confesses to having neglected herself in the recent years and recommitted to raw food about three weeks ago.

"It makes me feel vibrant," she says. "I have 100 percent more energy and I'm losing weight."

Across the river in Cape Coral, Lynette Pritchard says a multitude of health issues cleared up when she went raw, resurfaced when she veered from the path and vanished again when she resumed a raw diet.

The owner of Back to Nature health food store and café, Ms. Pritchard teaches periodic classes, offers raw items on her café menu and hopes to hold raw dinners soon.

Ms. Wagenheim says it needn't be a choice between raw and cooked, but she believes people feel different when they increase the amount of raw food they eat. "You feel it in every cell of your body," she says.

Dr. Dyer counsels those looking to adopt a raw food diet to do so gradually.

"They should start increasing the amount of raw food they eat," he says. "Imagine a plate like a pie chart. Right now, the majority of people would have a diet that has a small sliver — about 10 percent — of raw food. They should focus on making that percentage greater." Not all raw or nothing

Ginger Patterson, a Fort Myersbased registered dietitian, says there are good and bad aspects to a raw food diet.

"There are so many vegetables that do not release all of their nutrients until they're cooked, like carrots and tomatoes," she says. "And, even when heated to 106 degrees, you won't necessarily kill any salmonella that may be present. (Salmonella) can be found on organic as well as non-organic food. It does not pick and choose."

Ms. Patterson believes the raw food diet is too limiting in terms of both nutrients and lifestyle. Most people don't want to forego eating at restaurants, she says, nor do they want to take their own food with them when they're invited to friends' houses, for example. "Most people aren't up to that."

However, on the positive side, she says, "More vegetables are always healthful. You're putting more antioxidants into your body, which means there are more anti-inflammatories so you're going to have fewer aches and pains.

"I don't care how people eat as long as it's healthy," she stresses. "Everybody should seek that out for themselves. It's a personal preference."

Shakti Barnhill has achieved what she believes is a happy medium. The Fort Myers yoga instructor was 99 percent raw for a while and "felt the best I've ever felt," she says. But she's recently cut back to about 75 percent raw, adding in steamed vegetables, cooked beans and eggs.

"Life makes it too restrictive to be 100 percent raw," she says. "You cheat yourself from having fun. I'm happy with life. It's not just about what you eat. It's who you are and what you feel."

raw events

Southwest Florida raw food events

>>Sunday, May 17, 4 p.m.: Fort Myers Living Foods Group monthly potluck, Center to Self Reliance, 1939 Park Meadow Drive, Suite 9, Fort Myers. Cost: $3. Bring a raw food dish, preferably organic, to share plus recipe. Call David Dyer at 471-0255 to RSVP or online at www.wholefood. meetup.com/151/.

>>Monday, May 18, 6:30 p.m.: Bethany Tait gives a free lecture on weight loss and raw food for women, Mangroves Health Institute, 2335 Tamiami Trail, Naples. Call 403-0555.

>>Tuesday, May 19, 6:30 p.m.: Weekly Raw Simplicity class, with Bethany Tait demonstrating simple raw food recipes that can be made in the average home kitchen in 10 minutes or less. Participants get to eat the results. Cost: $20. Mangroves Health Institute, 2335 Tamiami Trail, Naples. Call 403-0555 to reserve a spot.

>>Wednesday, May 20, 6:30 p.m.: Weekly raw food class with Charles Marble demonstrating four recipes that make a meal. Participants sample each recipe. Cost: $25. Mangroves Health Institute, 2335 Tamiami Trail, Naples. Call 403-0555 so Marble can prepare enough food.

>>Friday, May 22, 5-7 p.m.: Raw ice cream social, featuring unlimited raw ice cream and a toppings bar, singing and music. Cost: $20. Mangroves Health Institute, 2335 Tamiami Trail, Naples. Call 403-0555.

>>Tuesday, May 26, 6 p.m.: Certified raw foods chef Debbie Greene conducts a monthly raw foods class showing how to prepare typical party food raw-style. Free. Whole Foods Market, 9101 Strada Place, Naples. Call 552-5100 to register.

>>Sunday, May 31, 6:30 p.m.: Naples Living Foods Group monthly potluck and screening of the movie "Eating." Cost: $5. Mangroves Health Institute, 2335 Tamiami Trail, Naples. Bring a raw vegan dish to share. Call 641-5559 to RSVP.

>>Cape Coral Living Foods Group: No meeting set, but information will be posted at www. wholefood.meetup.com/198/ when the next one is scheduled.

raw recipes

SPICY MANGO GINGER SOUP
1 large mango
1/2 cup chopped onion
½ cup water
1 chili pepper
Juice of 1 lime
½ tsp grated fresh ginger
Blend all ingredients until smooth and creamy. Garnish with fresh herbs of choice and serve. 1 serving: 81 calories, 20.7 gm carbohydrates, 2.5 gm fiber, .9 gm protein, 17 percent RDA vitamin A, 51 percent RDA vitamin C, 2 percent RDA calcium, 1 percent RDA iron

MANGO CHUTNEY
2 cups mango or papaya
2 Tbs fresh lemon juice
1 ½ tsp raw apple cider vinegar
2 Tbs mustard powder
2 cloves garlic
1 ½ tsp agave
1 bunch cilantro
¼ cup finely chopped bell pepper
¼ cup chopped red or green onion
¼ tsp cayenne
½ tsp salt
Combine all ingredients, mix well and serve

RAW BURRITO
2 ripe avocados
3 tomatoes
½ hot pepper
2 TBS chopped yellow onion
¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 ear fresh corn
2 tsp fresh lime juice
6-8 lettuce leaves
Mash avocado, mix in remaining ingredients and place into lettuce and wrap edges to form "burrito."

RAW COCONUT FUDGE
3 cups walnuts
½ cup carob powder or cacao
2 cups shredded coconut
5/8 cup agave
Grind walnuts in food processor until they have a buttery consistency. Combine carob powder with coconut and mix with ground walnuts. Add agave and continue to mix well. Press mixture about ¾ inch think in a glass dish. Place in freezer and chill until solid and firm.

PROMOTION TIME

2009-05-12T17:57:00.003+01:00

First of all, I want to thank Kate for the promotion effort she is making!
I have sent the link and Facebook event to the people I think could be interested and I know that some of then have already passed it through to their friends ;)

I know we will talk tomorrow but here I throw some questions:
- Are we going to wear anything special? Black code (any customized t-shirt)
- Are we going to actually taste the menu?
- Are we giving free tickets to Geof/Paul or Aysha?
- I have sent the mail to a professional photographer who lives in London. If he wants to come, I will ask him to make some pictures for us!!

Kisses!!!!

Maria Llanos

Spoonfed

2009-05-12T11:06:00.002+01:00

A preview and interview about the event can be found on Spoonfed, with the link to our ticket site.

Press Release

2009-05-10T12:16:00.003+01:00

For Immediate Release
10 May 2009

Contact
Kate Matlock – PR/Evocative Foods
Kate@evocativefoods.com

Dr. Morgaine Gaye – Menu/ingredient enquiries
drgaye@morgainegaye.com

Event will “Feed Your Imagination” by combining food, art and music

Hackney – 10 May 2009 Evocative Foods, with chef Nuno Mendes and food futurologist Dr. Morgaine Gaye, presents “Feed your Imagination” on June 4th at The Loft Kitchen, Hackney. The exhibition-style tasting event uses foods with natural mood enhancing properties combined with art and music to evoke a mood of vibrancy.

The Evocative Foods concept was developed by eight MA Design Studies students from Central Saint Martins and features a tasting menu, developed by Chef Mendes with ingredients identified by Dr. Gaye as providing a more emotional connection to food.

Gaye, whose book The Non-Cook Book: Super Health for Busy People is coming out in June said, “The students’ work is ingenious and is a totally new way to present concepts around food and sensation. It’s an exciting collaboration and an event not to be missed.”

Chef Mendes, who currently hosts intimate tasting events in preparation for the opening of his new restaurant Viajante in 2010, was chosen by Evocative Foods for his creative menus and experimental uses of texture and temperature in his cooking.

Profits from the event will go toward the students’ graduation show in December 2009.

Tickets are on sale now at www.evocativefoods.com.

# # #

Going Live!

2009-05-07T18:16:00.002+01:00

Tomorrow we will be going live with the EvocativeFoods.com Web site. It's very exciting to see what the response will be. I am preparing a press release now and that will be sent out tonight/tomorrow with the hopes of getting some press and interest.

In other news, I have a friend who has generously supplied us with his projector for the event. We will go to Nuno's on Saturday to test it for placement and so we know what we'll need for the event.

We have made a contract for both Nuno and Morgaine and will have them sign this document, which will designate all parties' deliverables and deadlines.

I ran into Brian and David today at 72 Rivington and they were both surprised that we were actually going ahead with the project even though the project time has passed. I think it's great that this team has decided to continue on and make this event a reality.

I want to commend everyone for continuing to work hard, despite juggling with our WHATs and WHYs right now.

km

Remember this idea?

2009-05-07T18:13:00.002+01:00

In the beginning of this project, we had discussed a box of raw foods that could be sold. Does this look familiar? Southern Alps is doing it!

INTERESTING INFO

2009-04-28T12:14:00.002+01:00

Take a look about the following info, could be interesting for us:

- Market Kitchen: Sky Tv program where they mix different chefs, analyze interesting info and anecdotes about the products etc. I have never seen the program but it seems interesting
http://uktv.co.uk/food/homepage/sid/6136

- Marije Vogelzang: Eating designer with Proef restaurant in Amsterdam and Rotterdam and a book called Eat Love. It seems that she does a similar work to us.
FROM HER WEB
" She is for example inspired by the origin of food, the preparation, etiquette, history or the culture of food. That is why she doesn’t call herself ‘food designer’but, as the first one in The Netherlands, ‘eating-designer’.

“There is no material coming so close to human beings as food”.

It is often thought that designers who work with food only design the shape of the food. Vogelzang’s aim is to look at the content and background of the food. The shape is just a tool to tell the story."

http://english.proefamsterdam.nl/

It is interesting, isn't it?

María Llanos

Reflecting on the What, Why, How, If

2009-04-22T18:28:00.006+01:00

Questions asked as a debrief of our exhibition.

What (did we learn)?
Stop thinking and questioning and just DO IT.
We were investigating the interaction between food and the mind and how it triggered sensations.
Always better to iterate something, because you'll always get back something.
Divide and conquer - tapping into people's strengths and skills.
Keep believing in the project; keep researching; find someone/something to keep it going.
Testing it "outside" was a help, but dont be your own gatekeeper.
Obstacles are drivers.
Be objective enough to look at it as an outsider; keep a fresh/outsider perspective.
Snap decisions are not necessarily a bad thing.
Many times the first idea is the best idea.
A full day workshop together was more beneficial than small meetings.
The collaborative element - and we leveraged other people's skills.

Why (were these things important)?
It's a lost connection because of bombardment of information - calories, nutritional values, etc.
To provide a direct experience between the person and the ingredient.
To allow people to experience something outside of their normal scope of food perception.
We were passionate about the idea and the delivery.
Putting yourself out there for external review helps you learn in the process.

How (did we execute the project)?
This has yet to be completely answered...

If (this happens in the real world, how will it succeed)?
It will happen.... 4 June.

Feedback

2009-04-21T20:35:00.002+01:00

Exhibition 1 - The tutors and external reviewers
While the feedback on our project is still positive, we did get have a few holes poked in how we were satisfying the brief, specifically: what exactly is our artifact? What gap in the marketplace are we trying to fill? What is it that we want our audience to walk away with: knowledge, experience, a full tummy?

While we continue to work on what Valentina would call "our good reasons," we must continue with a few other admin jobs including: drafting a contract stating the terms of the collaboration; discuss how the profits will be divided/how time is valued; and add terms and restrictions to the tickets.

Exhibition 2 - The second year part time students
Maria and I met with the part timers this evening to show our work. Again, we had lots of great feedback and some excellent questions. It was really great to hear their thoughts. Peer review is such a great tool! Maria did an excellent job at doing the condensed history and pitch.

A few of the students commented that it will be hard to keep up the momentum now that the exhibition is over, but I'm hoping that after a few tweeks to things, we're really in a good position.

Exhibition 3 - The whole class
Coming soon...

Exhibition Day

2009-04-20T11:08:00.002+01:00

Today we are exhibiting our idea to the MADS community at CSM.

I really want to recognize the way this team pulled together in the past two weeks to make up a lot of ground. The following list is in no way a complete list of all the wonderful things this team has done, but we would not have gotten this far without the research from the library from Maria and Pikk ; the pushing of ideas and excellent design from Valentina and Rein; the efficient project management and profit estimations from Alex and Kristy; and the hit-the-ground-running way that Yui was able to churn out a lot of design work in under a week's time.

This team has really inspired me to see how a brand can be launched almost overnight. What an amazing thing to watch and be a part of.

We have worked a lot on this project and will be continuing our work as we make our website available to the public to promote the event slated for 4 June.

Food Futures

2009-04-16T12:35:00.002+01:00

In yesterday's Metro, they promoted a new bar where you inhale a G&T:

The bar which gets you tipsy on its air
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Gin and Tonic

Adults are often reminded to drink responsibly but customers entering a new cocktail bar where they are literally enveloped in a mist of alcohol are warned to breathe responsibly.

Just 40 minutes inside the venue – which delivers an intoxicating vapour of gin and tonic – will leave you feeling slightly merry.

Punters are also advised to don special protective suits as they enter the walk-in cocktail to avoid going home smelling like a brewery.

To complement the whiff of G&T the bar is decorated with giant limes and massive straws to make visitors feel as if they are inside the drink.

The experience is further enhanced by a special soundtrack featuring the noise of liquid being poured over ice cubes.

The bar, which has capacity for 40 people, is the brainchild of gastronomes Sam Bompas and Harry Parr.

Their other wacky innovations include scratch and sniff cinema and jelly banquets.

Mr Bompas said: 'It's something we have always wanted to do. We are about making food on an epic scale and this is an epic cocktail.

'If you think of what you do in a bar you might spend 40 minutes per drink, so we've calibrated the mixology to account for that much.'

Mr Parr said: 'Here we've vaporised a cocktail.

In the future I would like to make a liquid banqueting table.'

The Alcoholic Architecture bar can be found in Ganton Street, the Newburgh Quarter, central London.

It is open between 7pm and 9pm on selected dates until April 25.

Tickets, priced £5, are available for hourly slots and customers must be over 21.

Go to www.jellymongers.co.uk for more information and tickets.

Properties of suggested foods from Dr. Gaye

2009-04-16T11:05:00.001+01:00

Cacao
Property: Cacao contains a wide array of unique properties and minerals, including high levels of sulfur and magnesium. It may increase your focus and alertness and contains nutrients to keep you happy. Chocolate and cacao are often associated with love. All this is due to phenylethylamine contained in the cacao. Anandamide can be produced in the brain when we are feeling great, cacao makes anandamide stick around longer.

Cocao contains certain chemicals and sensory properties that make the product very appealing. Cocoa contains theobromine (a chemical related to caffeine). The sugar in chocolate releases serotonin (a brain chemical related to a positive sense of well-being). The smooth, rich taste of chocolate (and sometimes the fillings) provides sensory pleasure to the taste buds. In addition, many people use chocolate as a reward and learn to associate the product with positive self-esteem.
The plant contains components that include: alanine, alkaloids, alpha-sitosterol, alpha-theosterol, amylase, arginine, ascorbic-acid, ascorbic-acid-oxidase, aspariginase, beta-carotene, calcium, dopamine, fructose, glucose, glutamic-acid, leucine, linoleic-acid, lipase, lysine, niacin, peroxidase, phenylacetic-acid, phenylalanine, phosphorus, riboflavin, rutin, tannins, theobromine, thiamin and many other things.
Cacao seeds contain fat, usually around 40%, consisting of oil of cacao, cacao butter, theobromine (.9% to 2.35%), small quantities of theine (.05 to .37%), starch, ash and protein matter (6% to 17%). These percentages vary due to the decomposition of glucosid influenced by fermentation. Theobromine may act as a diuretic, and has a stimulant or exciting action not possessed by chocolate itself. Theobromine and theophylline, like caffeine, all found in this plant are used in modern medicine as anti-asthmatic.
Site: http://www.rawcacao.com/
Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7937582@N03/471277642/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/caroslines/2510361029/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlunar/270969968/

Lacuma (powder) --- Substitute – cant find properties, it’s just something on the OKed list
Property: A sweet, gourd-like Incan fruit, which is dehydrated and ground into powder. It has a low glycaemic index and is suitable for diabetics.
Site: http://www.costsectorcatering.co.uk/online_article/Raw-revolution/4554
Photo: no photo found

Fruit – general inclusion on the menu
Property: A generous intake of fruits in the diet will enable a person to lead a healthy life. Fruits prevent all diseases and keep a person smart, energetic and active all through his life up to the ripe old age. (lots more stuff on the site)
Site: http://www.kuruppampady.com/fruits.php
Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/preperties/523558619/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sundaynitedinner/2064858589/

maca (p)
Property/about: Maca (Lepidium Meyenii) is a tuberous plant that grows between 3,000 and 4,000 meters above sea level in the Peruvian Andes.
Even now, the Peruvians use Maca as a source of energy, as well as, other countries of South American, North America and in Europe. Maca is mainly known as "Peruvian Viagra" or "Peruvian Gingseng" because it helps stimulate the libido of both men and women.
Maca increases vitality and gives extra energy. Athletes, bodybuilders and other sportsmen and women use Maca to build up extra energy naturally. Scientific research has shown that Maca improves sexual performance in men and women. But Maca also stems the symptoms of menopause. Millions of women have already discovered Maca and experience a more pleasant menopause thanks to Maca.
Site: http://www.maca.co.uk/
Photo: http://www.naturallygreenmacapowder.co.uk/images/maca-root.jpg
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ammichaels/2865815860/

Cashew
Property: Cashew nuts are significant sources of iron (essential for red blood cell function and enzyme activity), magnesium (promotes energy release and bone growth), phosphorus (builds bones and teeth), zinc (essential to digestion and metabolism) and selenium (has important antioxidant properties, thus protecting the body from cancer).
These nuts are also good sources of protein.
In comparison to other tree nuts, cashew nuts have a lower fat content. They are also, like all other tree nuts, cholesterol free.
Cashew nuts also contain significant amounts of phytochemicals with antioxidant properties that protects the body from cancer and heart disease.
Site: http://www.health24.com/dietnfood/Healthy_foods/15-18-21-638.asp
Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jonasthomen/432726656/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dirtchick/310491768/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/beto_frota/3002075489/

Macadamia
Property: Macadamia nuts contain significant amounts of fibre (helps the movement of the digestive tract) and the B-complex vitamins (mostly involved in the metabolic processes).
These nuts also contain small amounts of selenium (has important antioxidant properties, thus protecting the body from cancer), calcium (builds bones and teeth), phosphorus (builds bones and teeth), potassium (regulates the body's fluid balance), iron (essential for red blood cell function and enzyme activity) and magnesium (promotes energy release and bone growth). Although the energy value of these nuts is relatively high, macadamias contain no cholesterol. Like all other varieties of nuts, macadamias also contain antioxidants associated with a decreased risk of certain types of cancer, like breast, cervical, gastrointestinal, lung, stomach and prostate cancer.
Site: http://www.health24.com/dietnfood/Healthy_foods/15-18-21-635.asp
Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jessicafm/71922690/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/fabes55/3416217942/

herbs
Properties: list of properties of various herbs on site – herbs were named as colorful and fool of properties
Site: http://www.holisticonline.com/Herbal-Med/Hol_Herb_glossary.htm
Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/reginaj/3201415747/

Properties of suggested foods from Dr. Gaye

2009-04-16T01:39:00.004+01:00

Camu Camu
Property:
Camu Camu is used mainly for its edible fruits. The extraordinarily high Vitamin C content.
Camu Camu has also a unique aroma and fruit pigmentation. A reddish pigment in the leathery skin (probably anthocyanins) imparts an attractive and unique pink color on juices extracted from Camu Camu. The aroma is subtle, but is not as captivating as in more popular fruits. Camu Camu is more recently also used in ice creams, sweets, etc.

Site: http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Camu_Camu
Picture from Site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7631803@N04/445248684/

Sauerkraut
Information/Property: Sauerkraut is finely shredded cabbage that has been fermented by various lactic acid bacteria, including Leuconostoc, Lactobacillus, and Pediococcus.
Raw sauerkraut is an extremely healthful food. It is an excellent source of vitamin C, lactobacilli, and other nutrients. It also provides various cancer-fighting compounds including ITC and sulphoraphane.[9]

Site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sauerkraut#History
Picture from site : http://www.thenibble.com/reviews/nutri/matter/images/sauerkraut-260.jpg

Sesame Milk
Property: Sesame milk is an excellent dietary source of calcium, sesame seeds are also a good source of manganese, copper, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, vitamin B1 (thiamin), zinc, vitamin E, healthy protein, and fiber.Sesame seeds also contain sesamin and sesamolin, two substances that are thought to prevent high blood pressure and protect the liver against oxidative damage.
Site: http://drbenkim.com/articles/sesame-health-benefits.htm
Picture from Site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/29081172@N03/2722762386/
http://www.black-sesame-seeds.com/black-sesame-seed.jpg

Chia Seed
Property: Chia Seed is a Good Source of: B vitamins, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper, and Omega 3 fatty acid. Chia seeds has 3 times more antioxidants than blueberries.
Site: http://hubpages.com/hub/Chia_Seed_Its_Health_Benefits
Picture from site: http://www.nutsonline.com/images/items/07068l1336.jpg

Sprouts (in general)
Property: Sprouts are rich in vitamins, minerals, proteins and enzymes. A sprout possesses all of the energy, vitamins and nutrients and power that enables it to be transformed from a small seed into a strong plant. At this stage its nutritional value is at its highest for instance, sprouted seeds can contain 400% more protein than lettuce and over 3900% more beta-carotine.

Further info: Studies have also shown that broccoli and other types of sprout contain exceptionally high levels of a natural cancer fighting compound called sulforaphane (20 – 50 times more than in mature broccoli) which helps support antioxidants such as vitamin C and vitamin E.

Site: http://www.energiseforlife.com/sprouting_benefits.php
Picture from Site:
http://www.i-love-food.co.uk/images/productimages/vegetables/400px-Brussels_sprout_closeup%5B1%5D.jpg
http://digitallydelicious.files.wordpress.com/2008/09/sprout2.jpg

Flax Seed
Property: Flax Seed Oil contains omega-6 and omega-9 essential fatty acids, B vitamins, potassium, lecithin, magnesium, fiber, protein, and zinc and also omega-3 oils.
Further Info: Flax seed as shown in many studies include lowering total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol (the Bad cholesterol) levels. Other benefits show that flax seed may also help lower blood triglyceride and blood pressure.
http://www.essortment.com/all/whatisflaxsee_pfy.htm
Site: http://www.healthcastle.com/flax.shtml
Picture from Site: http://www.naturallygreen.co.uk/images/flaxseed.jpg

Agave (Nectar)
Information/ Property: Agave was cultivated for centuries by the native American population for fibers, food and drinksAgave syrup has become one of my favorite naturally sweeteners since I find it to be delicious. Moderation of use is advised since agave syrup has a lot of calories. An alternative to high calorie sugars is the stevia plant which has no calories

Site: http://www.raysahelian.com/agave.html
Picture from Site: http://www.theraway.com/images/agave_syrup.jpg
http://www.raysahelian.com/agave.htmlhttp://www.foxhillnursery.com/ALLPRODUCTS/PLANTS/LANDSCAPEPLANTS/LANDSCAPEPLANTPICS/AgavePics/Variegated_Agave_3_gallon_-_full_sun_to_full_shade.jpg

Ginger
Property: Ginger has the following properties are of particular use for therapeutic purposes :
Antispasmodic : It relaxes all types of muscle.
Aromatic : Ginger’s aroma, flavor, and warmth help to stimulate the digestive system.
Carminative : The volatile oils in Ginger relax the stomach and stimulate peristalsis (the wavelike motion of food through the gut) thereby supporting digestion and reducing gas.
Diaphoretic : It induces perspiration and the elimination of toxins through the skin.
Rubefacient : Applied to the skin, Ginger stimulates and dilates the blood capillaries, increasing circulation.
Sialagogue : It promotes the secretion of saliva.
Stimulant : As a circulatory aid, it supports and speeds up the body’s physiological systems.

Site: http://www.mondiathailand.com/GingerBenefit.htm
Picture from Site: http://www.weieast.com/resources/weiEast/images/libraries/content/herbalknowledge/Ginger.jpg

Praopilas C.

Responsibilities Update

2009-04-15T22:20:00.006+01:00

Just a reminder of the responsibilities we agreed on at the end of today's meeting.

About Us RE
Revised Concept Statement VT
Brand Identity, Logo etc RE/VT
Marketing Website VT
Design Website AB/KM/VT
Finalise Payments Method AB
Biographies KM
Information on food we are using PC/KM
Images of food KM
Event Schematic YN/PC
Experience Map PC
List What you get for your money VT
Publish Biographies to Website AB
Ticket - map of how to get there VT
Design Ticket RE/VT
Event Music KR
Projection and food Information PC/KM/RE
Publication VT
Process AB
Sketchbook MLC
Balance Sheet AB/KR
Planning ALL
CSM Exhibit YN
Event ALL

AB

Minutes - Brindisa

2009-04-15T13:47:00.004+01:00

A meeting took place at Brindisa with Dr Gaye, Chef Mendes and 4 EF representatives yesterday.

Our main agenda was to discuss the theme of the event, make a list of foods that should be used to convey our theme, and find a date for the event that suits all parties.

First, the theme chosen is VIBRANT. We want the meaning(s) of vibrant to be a multi-sensory approach using food as the major medium for that message, with sight (color), sound (crunch), touch (texture), smell and taste. As additional sensory stimuli, we'll use projected images and music to make the space engaging.

Suggested images are the use of Kirlian photography, which shows the aura of the fruit or vegetable.

I also brought up the idea of chromotherapy, where we could also incorporate color blocks associated with the idea of vibrancy on the wall (if we can associate which colors work with the correct chakras).

Second, Dr Gaye wrote a list of suggested foods that incorporate the word vibrant in many forms: physical properties (energy), color (vivid), and living properties (vitality).

Foods like Maca powder have energizing properties, for example, while cabbages are colorful (white, green, purple) and make sauerkraut. As for living foods, an example of this would be bean sprouts, mung beans, and other sprouting vegetables.

Third issue discussed was the date for the event. Both Nuno and Morgaine will check for June 4 and 5 as options. With busy schedules, it was hard to coordinate for both of them to be here in London at the same time, or not already engaged in another event.

The full list of foods, properties and photos for exhibition were researched by Kate and Pikk, while Yui and Valentina are busy working on the overall look and feel of the logo, exhibition materials and event prep, including: website, menu and ideas for visuals.

km

EVOCATIVE FOODS RISKS

2009-04-14T19:00:00.002+01:00

After reading the briefing AGAIN, I have one doubt: if they ask us if we have considered the sentence of the briefing "Despite the smell of fear induced by recession and fears of recession", how can we answer?

Being devil's advocate, they could say that the "tasting event" is kind of a luxury activity and that people is not so open to spend money on something like this during recession times...

MAIN RISKS UNDERTAKEN BY EVOCATIVE FOODS:

- Idea's nature: Our first idea was so broad that it could have been developed into a product, service or both. We have explored all the main possible fields and developed the idea in each of them before choosing a definitive path. This was time consuming but maintained our idea's identity.

- Novelty part: In the briefing it says "we live in a culture with an appetite for novelty". Our time has achieved the novelty requirement without thecnology's instruments or product's innovation. We have selected a basic and common raw material to work with (food) but the new perspective we give to this and the profound research behind are the elements that gives the novelty characteristic.

- Product development: Instead of organizing a normal event and adapt our idea to our sponsors' identities; we have chosen the exact collaborators we wanted to wor with and let the idea take some of their identities in order to grow.

- Exhibition strategy: Instead of showing the result of the event, we are going to take the risk of waiting for Nuno's availability and show the complete event plan.

Why? Probably because we have taken the word COLLABORATION and explored it into its most profound meaning. We want to work with Nuno and Morgaine, not anyone else and our idea's identity is now mixed with theirs.

María Llanos

Chefs on Video

2009-04-14T11:12:00.001+01:00

I came across a cool website where people and/or chefs video themselves doing their chef thing and upload it on the web:

http://www.chef2video.com/

Maybe we could do a video or something similar for our event, to add another element of multimedia to it? It could go on our webpage and attract a larger audience...

Kristy

Foodlab with Thierry Marx

2009-04-14T08:02:00.001+01:00

check out foodlab where they do 'experiments' with food.

http://www.lelaboratoire.org/ius.html

rein

Breathable Booze & Chocolate?

2009-04-14T07:46:00.005+01:00

Bompton & Barr (Makers of fine english jelly) do culinary events... One of which is an event where you breathe alcohol! Im gonna go and check it out on friday, i suggest you guys should too if you can.

Also out on sale next month is breathable chocolate, check out
www.lewhif.com

"Harvard professor David Edwards, lead inventor of Le Whif, says: "Over the centuries we've been eating smaller and smaller quantities at shorter and shorter intervals. It seemed to us that eating was tending toward breathing, so, with a mix of culinary art and aerosol science, we've helped move eating habits to their logical conclusion. We call it whiffing."

Le Whif is a terrific way to curb your appetite or to accompany a coffee, and Edwards says inhaled chocolate is just the beginning. New culinary innovations that involve eating by breathing are being developed by the Foodlab at Le Laboratoire, Edwards' art and science innovation center in central Paris."

Its really intersting that we are coming across food in this way. I wonder if we are now more susceptible to seeing or whether we really have come in at the right time of a trend beginning?

rein

Exhibition Space and Draft

2009-04-14T00:36:00.003+01:00

After the first visit of Nuno's place.
This is how I think we can use the space, just the rough draft.
At this stage we haven't discussed about how the food is going to be. Once we have decided on that I think we will be able to move forward, to foresee the overall mood for the exhibition.

Praopilas C.

More than food for thought

2009-04-13T21:37:00.002+01:00

I know this subject is a little off on a tangent, I feel that it is interesting nonetheless and offers a further dimension to what we are trying to achieve here.

Whilst thinking more about the impact of food on mood I began to think about food and medicine. Many medical practitioners realise there is a strong link between mood and food and it made me think about my nephew who has Asperger’s Syndrome (AS).

AS is high functioning Autism, he also had Attention Deficient Disorder (ADD) and Celiac Disease (where one must eat gluten free products). Though my nephew does need to eat a gluten free diet, it is it is often recommended, mainly on the Internet and occasionally by their doctors, that the child with AS and ADD, should eat a gluten free diet. The effect of this can be profound, with many accounts by parents citing that the change in diet has led to massive improvements in their child and in some cases, some even talk of ‘miracles’.

Of course one can be sceptical of this, but I feel that there must be some truth in this, especially as the incidence of celiac disease is much higher in those with autism. Further to this, the charity mind (www.mind.org.uk), also state that they have found links between mood and food and thus mental health.

The following link leads to an interesting article that explores this further:
www.mind.org.uk/NR/rdonlyres/2F510AB1-E714-483A-9E49-6D2AE7C148D8/0/TheMindGuidetofood.pdf

It has a brief and interesting section discussing why food affects mood on page 3...

Kristy

Mood and Design

2009-04-11T11:12:00.014+01:00

Bibliography

Ehmann, S., Klanten, R., moreno, S., Raymon, M., sanderson, C., Schulze, F., Wagner, o. (2008) Create: Eating Design and Future food. Berlin: Gastalten.

These images and information are about color, mood and interpretaion, I hope this will be useful for an upcoming event. I will upload information about typologies and example of interesting food space and idea of laboratory lunch box I got ASAP. For more explanation, I will give you at next meeting.(hope this not too late :()

Yui

Spoonfed

2009-04-11T01:24:00.003+01:00

Today I met up with the lovely Meaghan Fitzgerald from Spoonfed, "the smart, definitive guide to things to do in London," and had a chat about Evocative Foods, how we came to be, and our event plans. Once we have set the date with Nuno, Spoonfed will list us on their site to help promote the event as something to check out.

First, I like Spoonfed. It's a great service that one can tailor to a specific area of London on a particular day to find out what's going on. Also, their name works so well with a food-oriented event, no?

Second, I like Miss Fitzgerald. Not only is she working hard at marketing Spoonfed, she also loves to eat. Meeting her to give her the details about the project was just as much for her own interest as it was about how Spoonfed could help promote us. Plus, we just seem to miss each other at networking events, so it was time to introduce ourselves properly.

I look forward to meeting her again, along with Alex and Henry, the founders of Spoonfed, to discuss how the Evocative Foods team can collaborate with them on one of their upcoming developments.

To see what Meaghan thought of our meeting, check out her personal blog The Top Floor Flat.

km

Collaboration

2009-04-09T17:27:00.003+01:00

What a beautiful thing is occurring!

We visited Chef Nuno Mendes's loft today to exhibit our current progress on the project, and to also view the event location so that we could begin to conceptualize the artistic additions to the space via projector.

Nuno also brought in a friend of his, Miguel, to work on the event details with us. I believe that his interest in bringing his friend in is his way of sharing his enthusiasm for the project. My understanding is that they are quite interested in the way this could turn into a series.

The team has worked incredibly hard in just 48 hours. I believe that we all are so excited about the project and the possibilities that we are all putting in our best efforts to really make this special.

My happy bubble cannot be popped. My brain hurts from not being able to shut off. What a rush!!

km

20th APRIL EXHIBITION CHECK LIST

2009-04-09T10:45:00.002+01:00

As Rein explained, we are dividing the exhibition in three parts. I will put behind the list of things we need for each one. It seems never-ending, but we already have some things and the rest are either need only to be structured or on an on going process.

1) Idea / Concept:

NAME + LOGO
IDEA
Brand document

2) Process:

BLOG (a computer showing the actual blog)
SKETCHBOOK: Our group diary developed in a physical way with ALL our ideas in it. PLEASE, GIVE ME THE NOTES, IMAGES, OBJECTS OR ANY THING THAT HAS INSPIRED YOU DURING THE PROCESS.

3) Iteration/the Event:

Website
Invitation for the event
The draft of the possible book we are publicating
The Menu
Interviews' pictures
Nuno's place pictures
The possible images we are projecting on the event
Summary of the negotation (which roll represent each of our collaborators, financial issues, future collaborations etc.)
PR Actions (how we have communicated this event, special actions etc.)
Merchandising projection (ideas of elements to be quickly explored)
Profit and Loss, Balance Sheet

María Llanos

Evening Meeting with Chef Nuno Mendes

2009-04-08T22:03:00.005+01:00

The East Room- Sorry I couldn't get a clear picture since it was dim light condition and no tripod.

Happily, Chef Nuno didn't turned back on us and now we're looking forward to collaborate our food event with him. ;)

Praopilas C.

Meeting Dr. Morgaine Gaye- Food Futurologist

2009-04-08T21:06:00.005+01:00

These are the photos I took when we met Dr. Gaye on April 7 at CSM canteen.

Dr. Gaye illustrated her "super food chocolate mousse" which is free from sugar, gluten, wheat, and salt. The mousse is made from raw materials consist of cacao (3 times stronger anti-oxidant than Green Tea), coconut water, coconut oil (anti-bacteria), avocado(rich in vitamin c) and agave nectar.

What Dr. Gaye strongly agreed, which was also our assumption in doing the evocative food project, was that whatever we consume, certainly, has an effect on our mood and the way we feel.
Dr. Gaye has shed new light in the way we consume food in term of nutrition, health, and beauty. I'm sure will keep updating about her work and upcoming event!!

Praopilas C.

Alternative Execution

2009-04-07T13:17:00.002+01:00

For the project's execution of the big idea...

Has anyone seen the "Nurture" sticker on the fruit or vegetable products in Tesco?
http://www.tesco.com/nurture/
The sticker is to inform you that the fruits have been planted from a good environment. This is to certified customers that they're buying qualitied products.

Also, there's sticker that sticks on the egg and meat products called "FREEDOM FOOD, RSPCA MONITORED". By buying the product that has this sticker. It means that you're supporting "to prevent cruelty, promote kindness to and alleviate suffering of animals."
http://www.rspca.org.uk/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RSPCA/FreedomFood/FreedomFoodHomepage

So I'm thinking that if we want this project to move farward realistically, may be we should create a website, identifying who we are, what we're trying to do and, importantly, we should provide information of food properties and histories and how it's linked to emotion.

So what we can do is to create stickers with different colors which contain "Logo and our website". Different colors of stickers indicate what emotion you're getting from the food. (they have to check online)

Immersion & Interaction we say?

2009-04-07T10:06:00.001+01:00

Radiator keeps your food warm...

2009-04-07T10:04:00.001+01:00

Simple, but thinking outside of the box

Collateral Merchandise

2009-04-07T09:59:00.003+01:00

We could produce interesting collateral merchandise - information could be on shopping bags, the above index chopping boards, could again have info printed on it. And all we have to do is print onto existing chopping boards. I think we need to come up with ideas like this. Even if we dont sell them but we make prototypes of them, it hits the brief so much better.

This idea of presenting food in a new way should bleed into food-related objects. How about the tools which are used to consume food? Plates, cutlery, glasses, cups, straws...

Food Wheel

2009-04-07T09:51:00.000+01:00

Food For Thought Lunch Box

2009-04-07T09:49:00.004+01:00

Such a simple idea, but really thought out.

I picked out this image as an analogy for our iterations. i think they should be considered but not overly complicated.

Food Pyramid Lunch Box

2009-04-07T09:47:00.001+01:00

NATIONAL DIET AND NUTRITION SURVEY 2001

2009-04-06T18:52:00.003+01:00

This is a survey that studies food consumption in UK population (aged between 19 and 65).
It is not really easy to read but if you go to the Summary part of each section you will be able to see the main types and quantities foods' consumption and the nutritional status of participants.

Interesting data:

The youngest group of men and women were more likely to have consumed savoury snacks and soft drinks, not low calorie, whereas those in the oldest age group were more likely to have consumed fish & fish dishes and fruit (excluding fruit juice).
Respondents in the present survey were more likely to have consumed, for example, breakfast cereals, savoury snacks, soft drinks (low calorie) and alcoholic drinks. Data compared to 1986/1987 survey.
Two-thirds of men, 66%, and over half of women, 53%, were overweight or obese, with
men more likely to be overweight or obese than women (that is, BMI greater than 25). The same data in 1986/87 survey was 45% men overweight or obese and 36% women.
25% of men and 20% of women were obese, and a further 42% of men and 32%
of women were overweight.

Link to the complete pdf survey

http://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/ndns5full.pdf

María Llanos

Running Bibliography

2009-04-06T15:56:00.007+01:00

WEB PAGES AND ARTICLES:
http://www.hotelchocolat.co.uk
http://www.rawfoodexplained.com/nutrition-mind-and-the-emotions/how-foods-affect-mental-and-emotional-health.html
http://www.essortment.com/family/mindbodyfooda_svda.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heQHwBaan6Y
http://www.slowfood.com/
http://www.livingfoods.co.uk
http://www.cabinetmagazine.org/issues/2/breathablefood.php

COLOUR MUSEUM WEBSITE - Article about Colour for food and packaging
http://www.colour-experience.org/colouriser/packaging/coliser_packaging_1.htm

Chlorophyll for purifying and relieving nervousness
http://www.awomansviews.com/health/0303_greenfoods.htm

Restaurants and caterers to display calories on their menus: Burger King, KFC and Pizza Hut between them!!!
http://www.food.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/2009/apr/catercalorie

COMPANIES:
INNOCENT COMPANY: you were right Alex, they look nice and easy to approach!
www.innocentdrinks.co.uk

GREEN AND BLACKS: Interesting, they have a chocolate testing guide. If we prepare boxes only with sweet and spices we could sell them on its shop.
www.greenandblacks.com

KONDITOR AND COOK: Our box will be possible to send inside their Magic Cake section. What about putting ingredients that really cheer you up or make you relax??
www.konditorandcook.com/

COLLABORATORS:
MORGAINE DAYE
www.drgaye.co.uk

NUNO MENDES
www.nunomendes.co.uk

BOOKS:
FAST FOOD NATION (Eric Schlosser)
IN THE DEVIL’S GARDEN – A sinful history of forbidden food. (Stewart Lee Allen)
SLOW FOOD – The case for taste (Carlo Petrini)
AROMATHERAPY IN YOUR DIET – Discover the therapeutic benefits of everyday foods. (Danièle Ryman)
MORE PACKAGING PROTOTYPES (Edward Denison)

FOOD IN THE ANCIENT WORLD (John M. Wilkins and Shaun Hill)

THE FUTURE FOOD (Brian J. Ford)

FILMS/CLIPS:
FAST FOOD NATION ( I've seen it today but not so interesting as the novel, a lot of data missing)
RATATOUILLE

www.videojug.com/film/about-raw-food-movement

Breathable Food

2009-04-06T14:22:00.003+01:00

by David Gissen

In the history of architecture and design there have only been a few "effects"—electric light, forced air—that have had the capacity to cause massive environmental and behavioral shifts. Last year at Barcelona's annual design fair, the Catalonian designer Marti Guixe presented another—breathable food. "Pharma-food, a system of nourishment by breathing," is an appliance that was developed by Guixe to explore the transformation of food into pure information.

Guixe, who has been studying alternative forms of eating for several years, realized that the breathing of "food" already occurs via the inhalation of dust that hangs in the air at work and at home. Guixe hypothesized that this form of eating, from which one gains a miniscule amount of minerals and vitamins, could be trans-formed into a more potent meal, a "dust-muesli," that would supply a powerful dose of nutrients. The Pharma-Food appliance, which sprays this ærosolized nutrition, connects to a computer and requires Microsoft Excel to enter exact values for such things as riboflavin, vitamin C, and protein. The combination of these nutrients are saved on the computer as documents with names such as "SPAMT," which has the nutrient "language" of tomatoes and bread, and "Costa Brova," a "seafood" dish that is heavy on the iodine and light on carbohydrates. Guixe imagines diners composing these "meals" and sending them as e-mail attachments to other owners of the Pharma-food emitter. "Like MP3," says Guixe.

While Guixe has explored the experience of eating this information, less explored and of equal significance is where this type of eating can now take place. Guixe imagines Pharma-food in a special "Pharma-bar," essentially a simple room with tables and chairs and several emitters. But why is this necessary when he has liberated food from kitchens and from forms of ingestion that require utensils and dishes? Pharma-food will allow eating to occur anywhere at any time; on subways, in cars, in our beds, while exercising, sleeping, or making love. Most interesting is what effect this device will have on the home, particularly the American home, which is dominated by the kitchen. While technologies are given free range at work and in other public spheres, the home is typically the place where devices such as Pharma-food are tamed and held in balance by a previous technology that the new device is meant to replace. Central heat did not eliminate the fireplace; it allowed this formerly grimy, soot-filled artifact to become an æsthetic symbol and heart of the American home. People began using fireplaces less, but when they did, they burned wood in them again instead of coal. Similarly, cooking the monthly meal may involve stoking a wood-fueled, cast-iron stove while simultaneously breathing a few appetizers with friends.

Pharma-food joins the work of other, primarily European, designers who are exploring alternative regimens for such activities as washing or eating. One of Guixe's Catalonian contemporaries, Ana Mir, is exploring a technology that allows one to wash without water. Like Guixe's approach, this project would allow washing to occur anywhere. In their work, these designers not only free regimens from their fixed location in relation to certain products; they also free these activities from their traditional engagement with the body. Unlike designers such as Philippe Starck or Richard Sapper, who strive to revise traditional technologies, Guixe has discovered that the problem of eating does not involve the design of a new type of stove, sink, or refrigerator—the problem of eating requires finding a new mouth.

http://www.cabinetmagazine.org/issues/2/breathablefood.php

This is really interesting. Does this take the emotion out of eating or does it increase/strenghten the relationship between emotion & food? If we could do this, I think eating would become a purely experiential hobby like shopping (where once upon a time, people went to shops to replenish required supplies, now its a hobby).

Rein

THE BIG IDEA

2009-04-05T20:32:00.002+01:00

"The project investigates foods' properties and their capability to induce thoughts, sensations and behaviours from their chemical characteristics.
Historically, people had a more holistic relationship with food – there was a greater understanding of the provenance and properties of ingredients. ‘In a rush to get the food to the table’, we have lost this relationship, often breaking food down into ‘calories’ and assessing it only on ‘nutritional value’.
Whereas we cannot recoup this past relationship, we believe that we can build on it. By deconstructing food into its basic essence, we are adding a new dimension to the way food is perceived.
Not only would this insight enable people to make informed choices about what they currently consume, we believe that in the future, thoughts, sensations and behaviours could be the basis for choosing the food we eat."

Rein
(Guys, the brand document draft will be sent to you tomorrow evening, ive made some good progress but my brain is fried)

High Fives

2009-04-05T16:32:00.003+01:00

Amazing set of meetings scheduled for Tuesday night. Through the magic that is chance, I came across information for Dr Morgaine Gaye and Chef Nuno Mendes.

I dont want to reveal too much, but I am so excited to meet them both that I could run around high fiving our team. These two meetings are exactly what this program is about - taking an artifact to the professionals to meet and further shape our artifact.

Today's meeting at The Pommeler's Rest near Tower Bridge has been one of our most productive meetings to date. I really feel like we are narrowing our focus and really coming together with a plan.

km

WHY DON'T WE PLAY?

2009-04-05T12:10:00.007+01:00

If we make a quick summary of our idea we could say that our main purposes where:
- Passing knowledge about food
- Making people aware of the senses experience when they eat (make them renew the experiential relationship with food)
- Link this experience with an emotion (emotions raw food materials give)

Our idea developed in different possibilities:
- BOX: Self explanatory product which would include the raw materials, info and graphic part.
Problem: we can't sell food (license problems)
- FOOD COMPANY partnership: (Innocent drinks, Green and Black). They will supply the raw material. Could be developed into a cookie or a drop.
Problem: we should loose some of our identity and transform the idea depending on the nature of the food supplier.
- EVENT: Not enough for such a powerful idea. We need something long lasting and not so superficial.
Problem: With the different sponsorships, it will look like a food trade.
- RESTAURANT partnership: it could have been an experiential course, an EvocativeFoods menu, pilot session.
Problem: Identity's lost again and not the right place to be really innovative.

WHY DON'T WE PLAY?

We want a product that combines our main purposes:
- Passing knowledge about food
- Make people renew a more experiential relationship with food

Why don't we build an educative and funny experience?
Definition of game: It is a structured activity, usually undertaken for enjoyment and sometimes used as an educational tool...they often involve mental and physical stimulation or often both. ..some games perform and educational, stimulational and psychological role.

Don't you think the wheel and its "cheeses" could look like the box idea?
Different colors for different emotions questions and the player that answers the questions best is the one who starts experiencing the food properties.

People would buy the game and it will bring a food list with basic things they have to buy to start the game so we won't have the food supply problem and we can start talking to game companies to see if they find the project interesting.

María Llanos

Mood and Tone

2009-04-05T01:54:00.006+01:00

These are the pictured I've gather to show the mood and tone of the project.
The pictures show the raw foods, some emotions, relationship b/t food and people, and landscapes.

Praopilas C.

naked lunch - proposal

2009-04-05T00:01:00.002+01:00

EVOCATIVE FOODS PRESENTATION LETTER

2009-04-03T15:12:00.004+01:00

WHO ARE WE?

We are Evocative Foods, a group of Central Saint Martins' students embarking on an adventure, a new venture to change the way people feel about food today.

WHAT DO WE DO?

In a world full of speed, caffeine and stimulants, we have almost forgotten to taste and enjoy simple and natural things like food...we want to make people be aware of the properties of amazing food around us and make people renew a more experiential relationship with food.

We invite people to start a journey, a mental and physical journey, in which they will learn about history and properties of food at the same time as they experience real flavors and rediscover he emotions linked to these flavors.

HOW WE DO IT?

We have created a whole new experience in where people will be able to learn about food properties at the same time as they will experience them by tasting he different flavors and feeling the different emotions these foods has linked.

We have selected X raw materials to do our food journey which are:

SOME OF THE FOODS EXPLAINED IN THE PREVIOUS POST. We are probably not using all of them, we will select the best ones together on our Sunday meeting.

WHAT THE JOURNEY CONSISTS OF?

That is what we have to finally decide. Is it going to be on a restaurant? Is it going to be the prototype of a product with the help of Doctor Gaye?

How we want to present this idea? Some graphic work?

Maria Llanos

FOOD LIST - IMPORTANT!!!

2009-04-03T14:17:00.004+01:00

Chili pepper: Anger and pain. It helps the body dealing with these emotions, Chili pepper's violent nature derives from the tasteless chemical called capsaicn that is so potent 1 part in 11 million causes a dizzling sensation. It produces short, intense rushes followed by a false sense of well-being.

Chocolate: Contains both a sedative which relaxes and lowers inhibitions and a stimulant to increase activity and the desire for physical contact. Forbidden food in the ancient times.

Avocado: Aphrodisiac food due to its shape and name (the original Aztec name meant testicle). Sexual stimulant with vitamins D and E and high energetic values. It is a fruit with a texture similar to butter, amazing taste.

Nutmeg: It has a more powerful effect on men. Origin: Banda island in Indonesia. It is considered one of the most powerful senses and spirit's stimulants. It contains (miristiciana) which provokes a nearly narcotic effect. It also contains components derived from amphetamine and it should be used in small quantities.

Honey: Aphrodite's nectar. High energetic value for its richness in vitamins and minerals. Restorative properties for lovers.

The bee has already done part of the digestive process of the honey so the human body absorbs it quicker by the blood and the effect is more immediate.

Mint: Mint has pleasant smell and taste, it has antiseptic qualities- used as mouth freshener. In the history, mint is used in Europe, Asia, and Africa region. Greeks added mint to their baths to stimulate their bodies. Romans used mint as sauce. Monks in medieval times used mint for culinary and medicinal properties. Good for the HAPPY AND FRESH.

Potato and Whole grain: both contains complex carbohydrates which will calms your nerves and induces sleep and helps reduce appetite and physical pain.

Take a look at www.bachcentre.com/centre also to see some of the Bach remedy ingredients and their properties.

A Pharmacy in your Garden

2009-04-03T10:39:00.005+01:00

To follow on from the requirement to identify 5 ingredients or raw materials for our presentation letter, below is a brief list of every day ingredients that have been traditionally used in medicine.

Eucalyptus leaves - soothing, anaesthetic
Honey - Soothing, antiseptic
Ginger - Traditional remedy for nausea, decongestant
Marshmallow plant (roots) - for coughs
Valerian - Mild sedative
Lavender - Mild sedative
Lemon Balm - Calming, soothing
ChiliPepper- various effect depending on strength (refer to Maria's earlier post)
Cloves - Antiseptic
Elderflower - for sore throats & pain relief
Honeysuckle - Antibiotic (thanks Sarah!)

Alex Bradshaw

SLOW FOOD

2009-04-03T01:12:00.003+01:00

SLOW FOOD - The case for taste (Carlo Petrini)

"Slow Food has the idea of rescue eating, establishments, dishes and products from the flood of standarization"
"Bad habits contracted in youth - the target age for fast food- rapidly become ingrained, make people lost their palades and the upshot is a loss of identity, of the heritage of the individuals and societies"
Actions:
- The rebirth of the Osteria: Our attention has been focused on the culture of the traditional osteria, promoting local identities, the proper use of raw ingredients and the revival of the convivial values and simple, seasonal flavors
- The Salone del Gusto: It is a large market of products produced by local artisans, all of which the public can taste and buy. The main theme of this Salone is the training of the individual taste, mainly through the "taste workshops" (supervising tasting of wine and food products).
- The Presidia: It will be a system or network, it will bring together ancient and marginal professions and a new class of consumers disposed to pay a fair price in exchange for quality and outstanding flavor, and sensitive to the need to protect the environment and the food supply.

The strategy to follow is a large-scale campaign of consumer education, so that, despite the din of the marketplace, everyone will be in a position to choose a proper, healthy, honest and enjoyable mixture of foods for himself or herself. We need to reconstruct the individual and collective heritage, the capacity to distinguish, in a word, taste.

María Llanos

2nd APRIL MEETING

2009-04-02T23:04:00.003+01:00

Today's meeting started with the discussion of the idea's shape. What it should be? a "cookie", a drop? Only the passing knowledge part of the project?

Being realistic, we haven't got enough time to put a product on a shelf or sell a range of cookies/drops but we don't want to loose the possibility making people really experience the flavours and emotions (not only receiving information) so we have decided to follow a route we have previously considered: developing our idea in a restaurant.

We should work on the idea proposal very carefully in order to have something really powerful, well-structured and meaningful to present to the different chefs we are approaching. We have started to put together some ideas (we will develop them more on tomorrow's meeting)
What we are doing? We are making people aware of the natural properties of certain foods and we want them to form a experiental relationship with food.
We invite them to start a journey; a mental and physical journey, learning about the properties and trying the different flavours in order to experience the emotions.

Our next steps are:

Select the 5 raw materials (we thought that 10 would be too many but it depends on the ideas we have, we only want to select really interesting ones) and include them in the "presentation letter" we want to give to the chefs. Tomorrow's homework :)
Contact the people we thought could help us (Valentina's contacts, Carla's friend who is a chef, any other interesting contact etc.). Tomorrow preferably.
Trying to figure out how we see the experience is going to be developed and placed on a restaurant (this could be changed when one restaurant say yes but we have to decide the best way for us). Should we present all the raw materials on a dish at the same time, cooked somehow in a "cookie", should we present them one by one with the info attached, as a appetizer experience, as a menu?
Sunday: Close all the doubts, print or prepare the last materials for the presentation to the restaurants and agreed on a possible plan B in case they don't say yes.
FROM MONDAY: Going out all the time and achieve a YES!! ;)

I have uploaded some interesting info about On the devil's garden book and I have discovered an interesting raw material from the info of this book, the chili pepper. " The chili pepper's violent nature derives from a tasteless chemical called capsaicin that's so potent 1 part in 11 million causes a sizzling sensation...causes the body to produce a host of compounds that help us deal with anger or pain...A South American plant that produces short, intense rushes followed by a false sense of well-being. Sounds a bit like cocaine."

María Llanos

IN THE DEVIL'S GARDEN

2009-04-02T21:41:00.006+01:00

IN THE DEVIL'S GARDEN-A sinful history of forbidden food (Stewart Lee Allen)

"Approximately half of the $19 billion worth of snack foods sold in the US every year falls into the category of "crunch" snacks. This sector increases about 50 percent every decade, but the fastest-growing sector whitin the crunch family are the so-called "extreme foods" which put a premium on extreme auditory effects associated with anger: the splintering of skulls, the screams, the shattering bones, the sound track of mankind of the rampage.
"Taste in many cases is secondary, we're talking food as entertainment" David Futrelle wrote comparing some of the crunch snacks to violent video games. Both create not only similar thrills, but also similar action/response conditioning; just replace the tinny explosions and shrieks the video characters make as they are zapped with the chips' high-frequency roar as they are chewed. While most people accept that violent visual entertainment can inspire real anger, the impact on their culinary cousins is considerably murkier.

According to a NASA study, 65 decibels of sporadic noise can cause a 40 percent rise in hypertension and mental illness, especially among children; other studies have found increased anxiety at levels as low as 51 decibels. The louder the noise, the more agressive the people become.
A person eating a mouthful of potato chips is experiencing an approximately 100 decibel sound level. The chips themselves are made too large to close your mouth around, so their high-frequency roar will curve around your face and reach your ears without any loss of volume.

María Llanos

April Fools' Day meeting

2009-04-02T02:15:00.005+01:00

Today's meeting.

There are three of us turn up at Kate's place. We have stepped a bit further into the project discussion mainly about selecting the type of food. As Valentina suggested that we should come up with about 10 foods, however, we might shrink down and focus to only the ones that can deliver our concept well.

The type of food that we need to sort out are those that evoke emotion. Actually every food does evoke us to feel a certain thing but we need to carefully select the one that will make a strong identical reaction. Thus, we should search for the food that people generally are not aware of the properties' or substance's affect of that particular food since we want to EVOKE them and it's good not to LEAD them with any clue in the first place.
For example, to use coffee to evoke “being awake or anxiety” will be too literal.

We also need to come up with the target group. Who would care about this evocative food? For me, an employer of some companies with serious jobs and workers might use our concept by giving the type of food that would evoke joyfulness to the employees every morning. If this could be real, then, evocative food will be beneficial in shaping the working environment.

We also talked about collecting pictures that give mood and tone of the project. This will be helpful in seeing the project in a big picture.

Brief Timeline
March 30th – April 5th Concept Development and Finalize
April 6th- April 12th Crete Product
April 13th- April 19th Sell the Product, Conclude the project, Exhibition Display

Praopilas C.

Abstract

2009-04-01T12:23:00.003+01:00

'The project investigates foods' properties and their capability to induce thoughts, sensations and behaviors from their chemical characteristics.

VT

Shaping the Project

2009-04-01T12:22:00.004+01:00

Let's say we're able to identify a number (about 10) different foods and match them with a precise REACTIONS (emotions, feeling, behaviors).

We surround each food with a dedicated evocative environment, that tells the story of the food through a landscape, a color, a population..
Have a look at the website www.mindstylemagazine.com, you'll see that each mind style is matched with a collage that evoke and explain it's mood.

Then, we need to give a form to this.
Do we think it is necessary to transform these raw foods in something edible? For example, it is not possible to eat a spice as it is, but it has to be mixed with something else.

- the direct experience
We want to invite people to directly experience, TASTE, our foods.
This means that, with certain types of foods as spices, we need a common basis (flower?), that can be mixed with each raw material in order to create something edible.
This is quite a complicated thing to obtain. These are the options we brought forward:

* cookies (well, a kind of..)
We mix each raw food with a basis, i.e. flower, and obtain cookies.
These cookies should all have the same shape and appearance but different insides. This evokes the idea of the pill, i.e.
One pill makes you larger/
and one pill makes you small/
And the one that mother gave you/
Don't do anything at all/ (Jefferson Airplane, White Rabbit).
This is somehow very contemporary I think. This translates the urge of controlling everything that is typical of the contemporary. Pills to lose weight, pills to die, pills to increase your sexual performances etc.

* drops
The essence of the food (and therefore, the essence of the emotion).
This evokes the chemical laboratory and experiments, the homeopathic medicines etc. But it also evokes perfumes, poisons, magic potions, etc.

- passing knowledge
On the other hand, here we believe it is not necessary to literally make the people eat these foods. The important thing is to pass the knowledge and invite people to glance at this new world of possibilities we opened for them.
This means that we can exhibit the foods in their raw forms, but we loose part of the beauty of the game, that lays in the direct experience.

VT

Our Good Reasons

2009-04-01T12:22:00.003+01:00

This part is dedicated to the concept. We have to write it very carefully. And this is today's homework :)

Materials

2009-04-01T12:18:00.006+01:00

- 10 foods
Be free in choosing the foods, don't think about how they're eaten, their form, or whatever.

- 10 matching Reactions (emotions, feeling, behaviors)
Work on this part carefully: which emotions do we think can be more interesting for the contemporary? What kind of feeling is missed in our lives? This part is especially important in relation to the target we choose.

- 10 matching evocative environments
This includes several images that, all together, are able to define and evoke the history of that particular food and the reactions it provokes in both the body and the mind.

- 10 cookies / 10 essences
How on earth will we manage to do this??!!

VT

Early Challenges

2009-03-30T22:44:00.005+01:00

When presented with this brief, everyone had an opportunity to think on it for a week before team assignments were given. My initial thought was that the brief asked a lot of us within a short time period. That time period is further shortened by scheduling conflicts, team members' holiday plans, as well the issue of actually agreeing on our project "thing."

After feeling that two weeks have slipped by with very little movement from the blue team, three of the members met last week and came up with some solutions that challenged the brief and would also challenge our team members.

The team has never been able to meet in full, and our closest to that was on 21 March.

Today, four members of the team met to discuss last week's meeting with two others who were unable to attend. There were no formal decisions made, however my suggestion was that if we are to run this like a business, we need to start taking on business hours. Our infrequent and frankly quite short meetings are not assisting us in completing our mission.

Tomorrow, Valentina will be writing about the project ideas up until further meetings. Those meetings are planned for Wednesday and Thursday, at which point, by Friday we should be taking action on something. Anything. The "thing" must be done...

km

FAST FOOD NATION

2009-03-27T12:07:00.008Z

"On any day in the United States about one quarter of the adult population visits a fast food restaurant"
"A fast food kitchen is merely the final stage in a vast and highly complex system of mass production. Foods that may look familiar have in fact been completely reformulated. What we eat has changed more in the last forty years than in the previous forty thousand".
"The US average adult consumption of fast food is 3 hamburguers and 4 french fries dishes a week".
"In 1970 Americans spend about 6 million on fast food. In 2001, they spent more than 110 million"
"Every day in the US roughly 200,000 people are sickened by a foodborne disease, 900 are hospitalized and fourteen die. According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than a quarter of the American population suffers a bout of food poisoning each year. Most of these cases are never reported to the authorities or properly diagnosed...there is a strong evidence not only the that the incidence of food-related illness has risen in the past few decades but also that the lasting health consequences of such illnesses are far more serious than was previously believed."

FAST FOOD NATION - What the All-American Meal is doing to the world (Eric Schlosser)

Project 6 Brief

2009-03-19T19:28:00.000Z

Introduction

This project invites you to engage directly with the marketplace, bypassing or seducing its gatekeepers, to achieve a profitable intervention in the creative economy.

Brief

Despite the smell of fear induced by recession and fears of recession, we live in a culture with an appetite for novelty. This project invites your team to conceive, create, promote and sell a completely new product or service. There are no restrictions on the nature of the offer itself, beyond the need to adhere to the law of the land (nothing, for example, dangerous, fraudulent, or copyright infringing). Your product may be something tangible, it may be a service or event, or a virtual product. But whatever your product is, it must represent both innovation and application skills that allow it to connect with a commercial framework.

*As well as naming and branding your own group’s product or service, you should collectively decide on a name for this project, and use that name to brand the exhibition in which your outcomes are shown.

Presentation

All teams will be required to develop their products into physical or virtual artefacts. Your journey to the market place will be captured and criticized in a reflective journal (to be produced by each member of the team). The resulting artefacts, profit and loss balance sheet and supporting research will be presented at an exhibition to be held in the MADS studio during the week of 20 April. Feedback from tutors and peers will be delivered on the afternoon of Monday 20 April and the evening of Wednesday 22 April. The private view will take place on the evening of Monday 20 April.

This project will require a sophisticated team management strategy. Your tasks will, at the very least, include market research, pitching, negotiating, PR, print and web design, accounting, catering, building and breakdown of the exhibition.

Any profits generated by the teams during this project will become part of the funds available for the MADS Degree Show in December 2009.

Criteria

The project will be assessed against the following criteria:

* Your ability to identify a specific opportunity and to develop an original product to fill this gap in the market

* Your ability to manage, delegate, share, take responsibility, plan and deliver the product to the marketplace

* The level of risk taking you display

* Your ability to move beyond the predictable

* Your ability to manage the gatekeepers

* Your ability to work constructively as a group

* The quality and originality of your solution, and the degree to which you give it dimension as an iterated artefact

* Your ability to sell yourselves and the radical potential of your concept to others in the supply chain and retail sector who are potentially less attracted to risk

* The communicative qualities of your artefact and your exhibition

* Your ability to generate revenue while still taking imaginative risks