Introducing... FOOD DESIGN ACTIVISM
Updated: 17 hours ago
I guess it was inevitable... everything led me here. I've been working on something and now... well here it is.
In my recent paper titled Food Design Activism, fusing Design Activism and Food Activism, I propose the emergence of the new Food Design sub-discipline of Food Design Activism.
Food Design Activism is a food-specific branch of Design Activism that applies the principles of Design Activism to the entire Food Design discipline. While Design Activism broadly seeks to challenge and transform any societal and environmental issues through Design, Food Design Activism focuses specifically on food systems, engaging with the multifaceted and interconnected challenges within the domain of food. The food- specificity of Food Design Activism refers to the Food Design discipline as a whole and to all its 14 sub-disciplines: Food Product Design, Design With Food, Gastronomy, Food Tech, Agriculture, Design For Food, Food Space Design, Eating Design, Food Service Design, Marketing and Communication, Critical/speculative Food Design, Food System Design, Sustainable Food Design, and Policy Making and Activism, which, with this paper, is now being introduced as Food Design Activism.
Food Design Activism is an approach that can be applied to any part of the Food Design discipline. Whether it involves designing food products, creating food events, or communicating the complexities of food through digital or traditional media, Food Design Activism aims to influence and reshape food systems to foster justice, sustainability, and equitable access.
In the paper I will first introduce Design Activism, then Food Activism, and then explain how the two can be fused to create the newly denominated Food Design Activism. I then explore the seven Food Design Activism principles, six of these are the same foundational principles of Design Activism, discussed at length in another previous paper I wrote and that you can find here. The six principles of Design Activism are: revealing, political, contesting, disruptive, designerly, and real.
In fusing together Design Activism and food activism I propose the following definition of Food Design Activism:
Food Design Activism is the deliberate use of Design practices to pursue equality, justice, and well-being for human beings and vitality of all natural elements of a food system: plants, animals, soil, water, and air. Food Design activism pursues food sovereignty, food safety, food justice, and agroecology. Food Design Activism reveals, contests, and disrupts unjust power structures, gives voice to marginalised communities, and initiates real, actionable changes.
The seven principles of Food Design Activism are:
1. Food Design Activism changes food systems
Food Design Activism, as an extension of Design Activism, engages with food systems as its primary field of intervention. At its core, Food Design Activism seeks to reveal, disrupt, and reimagine food systems by addressing the interconnected components of production, consumption, waste, and sustainability. It draws upon systemic thinking to confront the pressing challenges in contemporary food systems while creating opportunities for meaningful change.
and Food Design Activism is:
2. revealing
Food Design Activism reveals hidden truths and overlooked dynamics within food systems. By making visible the social, environmental, and economic impacts of food production and consumption, it fosters transparency and encourages critical engagement with the choices we make around food.
3. political
Food Design Activism recognizes food as inherently political. This principle emphasizes the role of power, policy, and governance in shaping food systems. With Food Design Activism outcomes and processes reveal and at the same time contest existing configurations and conditions of society. Food Design Activism influences public opinion, advocates for policy reforms, and amplifies marginalized voices within the global food discourse.
4. contesting
Food Design Activism contests dominant narratives and practices in food culture and industry. As Activism, it shares kinship with political activism and anti-establishment movements. Food Design Activism questions systems of inequality, exploitation, and environmental harm, advocating for alternative approaches that prioritize justice, equity, and sustainability.
5. disruptive
Food Design Activism embraces disruption as a strategy to provoke reflection and change. Through bold interventions and creative projects, it interrupts habitual behaviors and perceptions, inspiring people to reconsider their relationships with food and its systems.
6. designerly
Food Design Activism implies the deliberate use of Design thinking, principles, and methodologies. Food Design Activism leverages the unique problem-solving and storytelling capabilities of Design to craft impactful interventions that resonate with diverse audiences and drive meaningful change
7. real
Food Design Activism generates tangible and impactful outcomes that seamlessly integrate into people’s daily lives. Its propositions manifest as tangible and digital products, edible and non-edible products, events, spaces, services, branding and communication campaigns, strategies and policies. These interventions target specific elements of food systems or address them holistically, with the goal of fostering meaningful and lasting change.
Read more about the 7 principles of Food Design Activism in my paper, here
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