Just when you think you’ve seen it all, along comes someone like Marije Vogelzang, and just like that – food will never look the same way again. And we mean this in the best possible way.
Trained as product designer, with a degree from the Design Academy Eindhoven, Marije chooses food, not traditional media, as the material for her projects. But unlike other products, food – which she claims is already “perfectly designed by nature itself” – stands out for having a direct effect on the user. And yet, she shuns the term “food designer”, as her creations are specifically inspired by the ritual, etiquette, culture and science of eating.
Take a look at the photo gallery featuring some of her more evocative, original, ingenious works, and don’t miss the video exploring her latest film project, Eat Love Budapest, where she uses food, and the ritual of eating (and more specifically, being fed) to bridge the cultural gap and promote understanding between Hungarian and Roma women.
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“If you want to think about an understanding between very different social groups, food is a very, very strong tool that you can use to create a bond between people,” Vogelzang explains.
While most designers – whatever their sector – aim to create products that will endure and be reproduced in large quantities, Vogelzang actually loves the ephemeral quality of her work, which unavoidably disappears quickly precisely because of the material she works with. “It’s really nice that my food is eaten, and then it’s gone and then there’s nothing left.” Nothing except for the wonder, surprise and lasting emotions she manages to stir with her joyfully poignant creations.
