F u d e
A way to reconect
Fude is a collection of eating tools that enables users to create a sense of play and wonder around food and their eating rituals. It creates a new and novel experience around how we interact with food by deconstructing and questioning social behaviors associated with dining. The tools get rid of the hyper functionality of utensils and encourage curiosity and exploration . Each object in the kit correlates to a verb and is up to the group of users to collaborate together to deduce these relationships, in the process aiding individuals in building comradery and new friendships.
W H A T I S F u d e
As a second-generation immigrant to the US, my journey mirrors that of my parents, who moved to Texas at 23 and established their first home in Dallas. After 14 years of feeling chronically alone and unsupported in an individualistic culture, they returned to India, unable to establish their roots.
Similarly, my experiences living in New York, Chicago, and California have revealed the struggles of second-generation immigrants like myself to put down roots. Through my design work, I explore themes of belonging and community, aiming to create spaces and products that foster connection and support for those navigating the complexities of cultural integration.
My Story
Food connects us in myriad ways: to each other when we grow, prepare, and share it together; to the land, as we plant, tend, and harvest our gardens; and to our own history. Sharing food fosters trust, showing our willingness to give up some of our resources and our desire to build close relationships.
Observations
What Loneliness looks like on our bodies
According to a study in 2010, loneliness predicts increasing morbidity and mortality, which is an elegant way to saying that loneliness can prove fatal
This project addresses critical issues in our relationship with food. It highlights the disconnect between individuals and their sustenance, where food is often seen merely as a means to deal with hunger or for nourishment. Currently, we play the role of consumers, detached from the larger ecosystem that sustains us.
Our goal is to redefine meals to promote mindfulness and awareness, using food as a tool for community building. Food should not just be an activity around which we gather, but something we connect over, strengthening communal ties.
Gaps
To further build context for this experience, we consulted with Enni Kukka Tuomala, a pioneering empathy designer. Her work explores how we can influence cultural change by evoking questions, conversations, and experiences. On the right, we demonstrate the application of radical planetary empathy and cultural elements to create a unique food experience. This design aims to foster meaningful relationships between individuals and their food, enhancing both connection and understanding through innovative design.
Interview
The initial pprototypes helped develop a form language for the the set of products. These decisions would later influence the material choices for the final product.
Form Finding
The Material for this Kit was crucial to it’s functionality. Most materials didn’t have a grain pattern that worked with the forms we had developed. Different metals had different properties when it came to workability. We ended up user testing a list of materials and settles on !0mil sheet brass for the final models.
