Today I visited Evoluon to see the space farm exhibition. I saw a combination of reality and fiction. The reality was the journey into space and the experience of astronomer André Kuipers on the space station. He explained what it was like to live in space and that in the beginning; he got sick and had to exercise every day. Additionally, people are not allowed to bring alcohol or fizzy drinks. Although the food was varied, they had to submit a weekly report on the effects of the diet. This diet could be, for example, very restricted in salt or not.
There were podiums in which they explained what it was like to create a menu with unconventional ingredients and also to design their texture. In addition, they explained how to make meat by reproducing animal cells. At the end, they presented a process in which they produced food thanks to the production of algae and the extraction of ammonia from human urine. Apparently, eating algae is the future of humanity instead of eating meat.
In the end, I found the philosophy behind some of the futuristic presentations: the book Next Nature. Also, there is a magazine that contains a lot of information on this topic: Space farming.
Design Intelligence Award winners include beans glasses, plant-holding table accessories, and ceramic tiles made with pigments and minerals from industrial waste.
I found it fascinating to see three designs that were not too far from reality. They included having honey at home, a kitchen that produces methane, and a lamp powered by bacteria.
This day I found amazing use of nature for design and practical applications to survive in environments such as Mars.
Reactions Paula Rook at paula@flyingwinewriter.com