Talk Event
- #Finished
- #Beginner Friendly
In collaboration with BioClub Tokyo, FabCafe is hosting a lecture and exhibition tour alongside Multidisciplinary Artist and Material Designer, Eleonora Ortolani. You will get a chance to hear a deeper discussion on her award-winning Guilty Flavours project and visit her exhibition.
Wed, March 6, 2024 UTC+09:00
18:30 – 21:00
Our ever-increasing mountain of plastic waste is an insurmountable problem.
Plastic production is not decreasing and the current system of recycling is failing to keep up.
Guilty Flavours is a radical proposal for how humans can harness our own bodies as machines to eliminate plastic forever – by eating it. New biochemical processes like digestion enzymes could allow humans to safely consume plastic. Starting with vanilla flavour, my research explores how we can realistically harness this process to create fully edible molecules transformed by living organisms.
The ice cream exhibited is the first real sample of food ever made from plastic waste: in detail, 20mg of PET plastic were used to flavour the ice cream.
The ice cream is displayed in a locked freezer because, despite its reality in the present time, it still needs to be tested for food safety.
This highlights the ethically-controversial nature of evaluating the plastic-derived ingredient: in fact, despite its chemical similarity to the vanillin we already consume, whether natural or synthetic, the testing process is still considering this as a completely new ingredient and a new technology.
This underscores the urgency for finding innovative solutions and rapid change in our society and politics of the food system to address pressing environmental issues.
Therefore, the ice cream will be locked and frozen until we, as humans, will make a decision on what to do with it. This is real and ready now, but are we?
This work aims to disrupt habitual patterns of thinking, emphasizing that true progress lies not only in the outcomes but also in our mindset. It challenges us to question whether we, as humans, are ready to compromise our eating habits to contribute to a more resilient and harmonious world.
Curious to hear (and smell) more?
Join us for the lecture and exhibition tour by crQlr Awards 2023 Winner, Eleonora Ortolani to hear a deeper discussion on the Guilty Flavour project. You will get a chance to smell the actual vanillin made from PET plastic and meet the artist herself.
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About crQlr Awards
This special lecture is being organized as one program of the crQlr (“Circular”) Awards Exhibition. To see the full line up of contents by crQlr Awards Winners, please see the crQlr Awards Exhibition: New Relationship Design Event Page.
The crQlr Awards is a global award that connects and empowers diverse players who are striving toward a more desirable, circular society. The goal of the crQlr Awards is to challenge social and business norms through cross-industrial collaboration to realize a more resilient, equitable and even regenerative future.
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This project moved from speculation to reality thanks to the collaboration with Joanna Sadler, research scientist from the University of Edinburgh, who provided the engineered E. Coli to make the actual experiment in the Grow Lab at CSM.
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Eleonora Ortolani
Multidisciplinary artist and material designer
Eleonora is a multidisciplinary artist based in London. Specialised in material futures through her studies at Central Saint Martins, she is interested in using food as a central medium to explore pressing societal and global issues. Collaborating with a diverse array of experts, including scientists, technologists and chefs, she transcends traditional artistic boundaries, blurring the lines between art, science, technology, and cuisine. Her work challenges conventional thinking and provide fresh perspectives on contemporary challenges
Eleonora is a multidisciplinary artist based in London. Specialised in material futures through her studies at Central Saint Martins, she is interested in using food as a central medium to explore pressing societal and global issues. Collaborating with a diverse array of experts, including scientists, technologists and chefs, she transcends traditional artistic boundaries, blurring the lines between art, science, technology, and cuisine. Her work challenges conventional thinking and provide fresh perspectives on contemporary challenges
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Kelsie Stewart
FabCafe CCO
Kelsie joined Loftwork and FabCafe in 2017 and oversees the FabCafe Global network. In FabCafes across Asia, Europe and America, Kelsie strategizes and aligns Fab synergies to empower everyone to take the initiative to make and share their ideas with local and global communities. Kelsie is also the Tokyo organizer for the Global Goals Jam (GGJ), a two-day designathon and community which aims to create short term solutions for the Sustainable Development Goals. Kelsie has organized sustainability and design thinking workshops in Tokyo, Bangkok and Hong Kong.
Kelsie joined Loftwork and FabCafe in 2017 and oversees the FabCafe Global network. In FabCafes across Asia, Europe and America, Kelsie strategizes and aligns Fab synergies to empower everyone to take the initiative to make and share their ideas with local and global communities. Kelsie is also the Tokyo organizer for the Global Goals Jam (GGJ), a two-day designathon and community which aims to create short term solutions for the Sustainable Development Goals. Kelsie has organized sustainability and design thinking workshops in Tokyo, Bangkok and Hong Kong.
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Georg Tremmel
Artist at BCL, Founder & Director at BioClub Tokyo
Georg Tremmel is an Austrian artist, living and working in Tokyo. He studied Biology, Informatics and Media Art in Vienna and London. Since 2001 he has been working on biological, cultural, ethical and societal codes, creating objects, installations and situations for contestable discussions through the Artistic Research Framework BCL. Georg is currently a PhD Student and Project Researcher at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna, working on ‘Ludic Cultures, Biological Interfaces and Non-Human Agencies. He is also a Visiting Researcher at the metaPhorest Art & Science group at Hideo Iwasaki’s Lab at Waseda University and a Guest Lecturer at the Tokyo University of Fine Arts. Georg is a co-founder and director of the BioClub Tokyo, Japan’s first Open Biolab & Biohackerspace.
Georg Tremmel is an Austrian artist, living and working in Tokyo. He studied Biology, Informatics and Media Art in Vienna and London. Since 2001 he has been working on biological, cultural, ethical and societal codes, creating objects, installations and situations for contestable discussions through the Artistic Research Framework BCL. Georg is currently a PhD Student and Project Researcher at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna, working on ‘Ludic Cultures, Biological Interfaces and Non-Human Agencies. He is also a Visiting Researcher at the metaPhorest Art & Science group at Hideo Iwasaki’s Lab at Waseda University and a Guest Lecturer at the Tokyo University of Fine Arts. Georg is a co-founder and director of the BioClub Tokyo, Japan’s first Open Biolab & Biohackerspace.
FabCafe Global
BioClub
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18:30 – 19:00
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Doors open
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19:00 – 19:15
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Introduction
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19:15 – 19:45
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"Guilty Flavors" Lecture by Eleonora Ortolani
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19:45 – 20:15
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Question and Answer
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20:15 – 20:30
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Visit Guilty Flavors Exhibit
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20:30 – 21:00
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Afterparty
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Date & Time
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Wed, March 6, 2024 18:30 – 21:00 UTC+09:00
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Venue
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FabCafe Tokyo
150-0043 Dogenzaka, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 1-22-7 Dogenzaka Pier 1F
tel. 03-6416-9190
https://fabcafe.com/jp/tokyo/
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Fee
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1500 Price includes 1 drink during the afterparty
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Capacity
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50
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Organizers & Sponsors
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FabCafe Global:
BioClub:
