In amongst shiny new appliances and the latest in lighting innovation, this year’s Interior Design Show Vancouver (IDS West) featured a curiosity: a honeycomb shaped installation, with colorful ribbons, called SEED. It highlights the journey from seedling to meal, the brainchild of Dutch industrial designer, Marije Vogelzang.
Vogelzang created the installation in collaboration with Caeserstone, to focus on the thoughtfulness we put into meal preparation. When she was in school, Vogelzang saw designers creating cars, clothes and furniture and asked, why not food? She opened two experimental restaurants to examine food issues through a design lens.
“There are many issues to be solved (lack of biodiversity, food allergies, obesity) and creative minds are starting to add valuable thoughts to this process,” says Vogelzang. On a personal level, the mother of three struggled to get her own children to eat their vegetables.
“Children have to try a new flavor seven times before they can enjoy it,” explains Vogelzang. She asked the children not to eat their vegetables, but to design jewelry out of them. In a matter of minutes, she caught the children nibbling on their bracelets. Vogelzang says that kind of creativity is key to solving larger, more serious food challenges.
“Currently, food is being designed from the perspective of making the most money as possible. Sustainability and climate change are not sexy so if you want to change behavior, you must design sexiness into it. We can design something that people desire,” she says.
