Abstract

This research-creation approach to critical design finds itself at the intersection of agriculture, the built environment of the dining room, and queer philosophy. Adopting lenses from queer design theory to rethink domestic hierarchy, the work confronts consumer responsibilities, the importance of traditional crafting methods, industrialized agriculture, and intimacy surrounding food.

This research investigates the role tangible intermediaries—such as furnishings and instruments—play in the association of value onto ingredients we consume as sustenance, and onto community-based dining rituals. Through a critical point of view, the research investigates the possibilities of augmenting value in food through collaborative approaches of dining. Current food consumption habits are forcing agricultural practices to work in irreversible ways, against nature, to yield maximum results, without considering future implications, and so, this study asks: How can the proposal of alternative furnishings and tools shift consumers’ perception of food origin, value, and consumption rituals in domestic settings?

Stemming from this research is a series of homeware, dining instruments, and foraging tools that provoke reflection regarding our habits related to consumption of food, with the intention of creating additional value to its origin. Ultimately, this work aims at highlighting the value of community-based alternatives, for a more sustainable and more inclusive tomorrow. The research proposes an intimate reflection of consumption and access to sustenance through methods such as thinking through making and autoethnography.