Recently eating designer Marije Vogelzang, a speaker at WDCD13, designed an intriguing project in Stellenbosch, South Africa. At the Spier Secret Festival she made dinner guests think and talk about their roots with a dinner of root vegetables moulded and cooked in clay. The project is explained, together with some other recent projects, in this film by our friends from Design Indaba in Cape Town.
The clay Vogelzang used for the roots-project came in different colours, reminiscent of human skin colours. The hidden message was that, after the clay was smashed and removed, the cooked food inside all looked the same. For Vogelzang the root vegetables referred to the roots of mankind that lay in Africa.
In the movie she also presents several other recent projects, including a kind of DIY conveyor belt that prompted people to pass on the food to each other. Yet another project is the Slow Down Café, which she staged in hectic places like Milan, Tokyo and Rotterdam. The slow and deliberate service from the elderly staff reminded diners of the care they might have received from their own grandparents. Vogelzang thus encouraged people to reflect on the speed of life.
With her events Vogelzang connects people to one another, encourages them to work with their hands, feel the earth, use fire and become aware of their roots. Watch and love it, like we did.
And subsequently have a look at her talk at WDCD13