Zsuzsi Matók food designer has a very special, rather experimental approach to the world of edible objects. She creates special artworks made of food, where aesthetics seems to be something completely different from anything we have in mind about food. She plays with colors, structures, kitchen technology and of course with taste and the result can be seen as a thematic exhibition in this case on interstellar clouds of asteroids in outer space, which occasionally intersect with the Earth’s atmosphere
It was the first time I met the creations of Nedill food design in person during Budapest Design Week and the experience became one of the highlights of this year’s programme for me. At the upper floor of the restaurant Konyha there was a special universe awaiting the visitors where lights, sound, mapping and the hosts were supporting one certain thing: the perfect reception of taste and the whole visual experience of the exhibition. I don’t know much about gastronomy so this experience was much more exciting for me as it was one step into an unknown territory where anything can really happen.
As we take a look at these special purple-green sometimes sponge-like, porous structures, we can’t even imagine how all this has been created. It’s no wonder, as traditional kitchen expertise has nothing to do with all this here. This is the territory of chemistry, or molecular gastronomy to be precise. In the field of food design the main role is played by visuality. According to a certain visual sensation several different mechanisms start off in our brain and these mechanisms have notable affects on our following decisions. Cooking in a way is the world of conventional physics. Designers operating on molecular gastronomy use the rules and experiences of chemistry and physics to create unusual extreme appearance for food. It’s just not enough to look at these pieces of art as they have much more dimensions than one – we have to make contact!
Naturally comes the question in mind: OK, but what does all this have to do with food? If we accept the very fact that everything, all the objects around us is a result of a design process and design thinking is present in the creation of even the smallest and almost visible personal articles, we might reply with an other question: Why not have ourselves spoiled by unique visual and flavour experience while eating?