food culture: eating by design

'dressing the meat of tomorrow: MRI steak' by james king
in vitro meat
photo courtesy of james king


food culture: eating by design
designhuis, eindhoven, the netherlands
on now through 30 September

'food culture: eating by design' is an exhibition by premsela, the netherlands institute for design and fashion, presented at the 
designhuis in eindhoven. the exposition, curated by designer marije vogelzang, showcases work by designers who explore the links 
between design, food and the origins of what we eat. vogelzang says of the display:

 'I want to inspire designers who aren't yet involved with the food chain to start addressing the subject, it's a challenge working with something 
as transitory as food.' 

there were more than 20 contributors including designers james king (GB), marti guixé (ES) and tomm velthuis (NL); the photojournalist 
peter menzel (US); and the artists julie green (JP), uli westphal (DE) and koen van mechelen (BE) which investigate the idea of cuisine in playful, 
scientific and unusual ways from armies of ceramic chickens, 3d printed chocolates to growing meat in test tubes.



'dressing the meat of tomorrow: MRI steak' by james king
photo courtesy of james king

'dressing the meat of tomorrow: MRI steak' by british designer james king examines how we might choose to give shape, texture and flavor to 
a new sort of food in order to better remind us where it came from. the MRI [Magnetic Resonance Imaging] unit scours the countryside 
looking for the most beautiful examples of cows, pigs, chickens and other livestock. once located, the creature is scanned from head to toe, 
creating accurate cross-sectional images of its inner organs. the aesthetically pleasing examples of anatomy are used as templates to create 
moulds for the in-vitro meat. the result is a complicated and authentic form of food.



'food design XL' by honey and bunny
photo courtesy of sonja stummerer and martin hablesreiter


through 'food design XL' austrian design studio honey & bunny investigates why certain culinary delights are the way they are and 
how they influence our senses. they look at the industrialized production of the things we eat and how we are able to control 
the color, odor, shape. it explores the consistency and taste of what we consume that impacts the current state of food product design, 
and how we interact with and handle the things we digest, from cutting to serving to eating.



'food design XL' by honey and bunny
photo courtesy of sonja stummerer and martin hablesreiter



'mutatos' by uli westphal 
image courtesy of uli westphal


the 'mutato' project by uli westphal is a collection of non-standard, deformed fruits, roots and vegetables, displaying a variety of forms, 
colors and textures, that would otherwise not be selected for commercial use. the outcome is a plethora of food creating color-coded artworks,
each with their own personality.



'mutatos' by uli westphal 
image courtesy of uli westphal



'mutatos' by uli westphal 
image courtesy of uli westphal


other works on show include 'fat' by dejana kabiljo, 'stitched vegetables' by scholten & baijings and '3d printed chocolate' by GGLab.



the exhibition covered a wide range of projects concerning food and its role within society
photo © lizzy kalisvaart



the exhibition was curated by designer marije vogelzang
photo © lizzy kalisvaart



photo ©  lizzy kalisvaart



photo © lizzy kalisvaart



photo © lizzy kalisvaart

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Tattoos are permanent reminders of temporary feelings

'It's wisest to pick someone whom you cannot break up with or divorce.' Photograph: Gary Powell/Getty Images

Tattoos are permanent reminders of temporary feelings – at least if you believe the report in Thursday's Daily Mail, which looked at "embarrassing" matching couple tattoos – designs that complement or complete each other across two, romantically involved bodies.

Yet there are millions of people who feel no embarrassment about the tattoos they share with their friends, lovers and even exes. Moreover, as with most perceived "new trends" in tattooing, this practice is one with a history far older than the current generation; it's a phenomenon that provides both an insight into human beings' fundamental relationships with their own bodies and the bodies and lives of those close to them.

 

Tattoos have been used as markers of association for probably as long as human beings have walked the earth, to mark tribal affiliations, regimental membership in the military, membership of fraternal orders such as the masons or US college Greek letter groups, and to signify gang membership.

The most common of these types of affiliative tattoos, though, is marking an attachment to a loved one. There's an old adage in tattooed circles that suggests getting your lover's name tattooed on you is a sure kiss of death for that relationship, and it's an old gag too: Norman Rockwell's famous 1944 Saturday Evening Post cover painting, The Tattooist, shows a salty sailor in the tattooist's chair, having yet another name added to an arm already full of the crossed-out names of past paramours. Even earlier, a cartoon in Punch from 1916 shows a "fickle young thing" – a well-turned-out young woman, as it happens – revisiting her tattooist to seek an amendment to the ornamental crest tattoo on her arm as she has, euphemistically, "exchanged into another regiment".

 

None of this seems to have affected the long-standing popularity of having names or symbols tattooed to commemorate couples' love and bond. Magazines in the 1920s reported the latest fad for newlyweds was getting matching tattooed wedding rings; preserved tattooed skins in the Wellcome Collection from the late 19th century feature names and portraits of lovers; studies of tattoos in the American navy in the 18th century reveal a large percentage of seamen of the period bore tattoos of the names of women; even Christian pilgrims in the 16th century were recorded to have borne the names of their wives on their skins, as tokens or identificatory marks; and records attest to romantic tattooing even in ancient Rome – St Basil the Great (329-380) is said to have condemned the tattooing of a lover's name that he observed on someone's hand. While I'd certainly never advocate getting a permanent mark of your relationship too hastily, it does seem that the instinct to inscribe a permanent token transcends the ages. Caveat amator.

 

Single tattoos that span multiple bodies appear to be a more recent phenomenon, however. In 1977, New York-based tattoo artist Spider Webb undertook what was probably the first conceptual art project to use tattooing, in a piece called X-1000, in which he tattooed single, small Xs on to 999 individuals, and, as a culmination, one large X on the final, 1,000th skin, conceived as one contiguous work. This tattoo, potentially spanning thousands of miles at any one time, was, Webb said, "the largest tattoo ever done at any point in history". In 2000, as the culmination to a performance art project begun in 1998 designed to highlight the horrific lives and plights of the homeless and hungry in Mexico City, Santiago Sierra produced his piece 160cm Line Tattooed on Four People, a single black line tattooed across the backs of prostitutes in exchange for wraps of heroin, as a symbol of their desperation, interdependence, and utter powerlessness. Sierra would later remark: "You could make this tattooed line a kilometre long, using thousands and thousands of willing people." In 2003, author Shelley Jackson famously published her short story Skin on the bodies of 2095, one tattooed word per person. These tattoos bring together strangers in common cause.

 

My favourite set of matching tattoos, though, are probably the ongoing collection of work worn by twins Caleb and Jordan Kilby, tattooed with matching work by influential and extraordinarily talented New York-based artist Thomas Hooper. If you must get matching tattoos with someone, it's wisest to pick someone whom you cannot break up with or divorce, and to get the work carried out by a tattoo artist who will produce a piece of work that will stand the test of time on its own terms.

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Turkish Delight

• Gulets, traditional Turkish wooden boats, anchored off Gemiler Island. Andrew Eil
• The Lydian, an ancient Greek amphitheater in Knidos, on the Datca Peninsula. Andrew Eil
• A gulet on Gokova Bay, near the city of Bodrum. Andrew Eil
• The writer on the Zephyria II, with Butterfly Valley in the background. Andrew Eil
• An inlet on the Gulf of Fethiye, near Gocek. Confined spaces do not often make for harmonious family vacations — unless, apparently, they are the close quarters of a gulet, a traditional Turkish wooden yacht, and you are sailing along the Turquoise Coast. I recently spent a week doing just this, with my aunt, uncle, cousins and husband, on the Zephyria II. We sailed from Gocek to Bodrum, a trip commonly referred to as “the Blue Voyage.” Some people come to Turkey because it’s the land of Homer, others for the Greek, Roman and Byzantine ruins. I came for the water — the pellucid Mediterranean, alternating between shades of blue and green. I’m not sure why it isn’t declared a wonder of the world.

Being on the gulet, to quote the writer John Flinn, is like the life of a dog: “You swim, you eat, you get taken for walks.” With every need taken care of by the capable crew, I dare you to try being anxious or stressed. The only big decisions of the day are when to take a swim and how many salted almonds to snack on between meals.

Topographically, this part of the Mediterranean is a close cousin of the Amalfi Coast, but there is more of an undiscovered, rustic feel in Turkey, as very few of its coastal towns are anywhere near as built up as Positano. For vast stretches there are no signs of civilization at all, save the odd Turkish flag planted on a hillock, a family of goats skipping along the rock ledges, or clusters of stone ruins. 

On the gulet, meals are the big event. In between sumptuous feasts of Turkish meze, the days are filled with activities like swimming in a semi-submerged ancient Roman bath where Cleopatra is rumored to have taken a dip. One evening, Ismael, our sturdy captain, sailed us to a tranquil anchorage behind Gemiler Island. We hiked to the top, stopping along the way to see the ruins of Byzantine-era churches. The sun set in shades of lavender.

The next morning we arrived at Butterfly Valley. There weren’t any butterflies, which evidently avoid the tourist season, but there were towering cliffs on either side of a secluded slice of beach. We dove in from the ladder of the boat and frog-kicked to shore. By the third day, I had only started to get slightly inured to my physical surroundings. “Oh, another beautiful cove,” I thought, looking up from my Kindle. Another morning, we landed at Ekincik Bay, which is known as “hidden paradise” — words that could have described just about any place we’d been over the previous few days.

About mid-week, we arrived in Dalyan, a town known for its blue crabs and arresting stone tombs carved into the side of a cliff. All nine of us loaded onto a riverboat that took us through the Dalyan Delta. On our temporary floating home, we motored through the wetlands, later ordering a freshly baked crab from another boat. Some visitors come to Dalyan for 10 to 15 days of mud baths. Asked about the mud’s benefits, our tour guide replied, “Your skin will look like a baby’s bottom.” Though I was advised that a single bath would not accomplish this goal, I nonetheless slathered myself in the mud, withstanding the unpleasant smell of sulfur in pursuit of soft, perfect skin. (I’m not sure it did much.) Afterward, we swam in a vast, emerald-colored freshwater lake called Koycegiz, and I forgot about everything.

In Datca, a town situated on a serpentine peninsula south of Bodrum, the call to prayer was drowned out by booming techno music emanating from a nearby beach populated with scantily clad Turkish vacationers. We saw our final batch of ruins in Knidos — the remnants of an ancient Doric port — then set off for Mersincik Bay, another breathtaking cove with crystal clear water. On our last day, we went to Black Island, directly across from Bodrum, and swam in hot springs. Cleopatra is purported to have spent three years there, hiding from the Romans and taking mineral baths every day.

That night, we dropped anchor about four miles from Bodrum. As we fell asleep on the rear deck, under the moon and stars, the bass of discotheques thumped gently in the distance. Unlike the water of the Turquoise Coast, Bodrum, we learned the following day, is better viewed from afar. Though you can get all your Gucci knockoffs there, we were quickly reminded of what had become our maxim: life is at its best on the gulet.

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Latvian company creates leather bound Ferrari

We're familiar with seeing tight leather on smoking hot women, and weird old men, but it's a first for us seeing a leather bound Ferrari F430.

There seems to be a lot of fuss over this leather bound Ferrari F430 in the UK with both The Sun and The Daily Mail reporting about it recently.

However, this isn’t a new car by any means as US motoring blog Jalopnikreported on the F430 way back in August last year. It’s a pretty cool, albeit manky, car so we thought we’d show you anyway.

It’s the work of a Latvian custom car company called Dartz who hit the headlines in 2009 when they created a $1.5 million ruby red SUV with whale foreskin-covered seats. Yes, foreskin…

Anyway, some high roller with more cash then sense decided it would be a great idea to cover his €170,000 Ferrari in dark leather.

The owner of Dartz, Leonard Yankelovich, said: "One of our very rich customers from the Cote d'Azur wanted a leather exterior and knew we could deliver.

"It took three of my staff 16 working days to apply the leather and finish. He was more than happy when he picked it up."

He won’t be too happy when he scratches it though.

Is this the most expensive way to ruin a Ferrari?

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Two British climbers killed in an avalanche in the French Alps have been named by the Foreign Office.

John Taylor and Steve Barber were among nine people killed on Mont Maudit, near Chamonix, on Thursday.

They were from Upper Poppleton, a village west of York, and were climbing to raise money for a local hospice.

A third Briton killed in the avalanche was named on Thursday evening as experienced climber Roger Payne, who had been working as a mountain guide.

Mr Payne, originally from Hammersmith, west London, was a former general secretary of the British Mountaineering Council (BMC).

The trio had been part of a 28-strong group traversing Mont Maudit before dawn in an attempt to reach the summit of Mont Blanc.

According to the Prefecture de la Haute-Savoie, two people from Spain, three Germans and one Swiss were the others killed in the avalanche.

A church service is to be held in Chamonix on Saturday in memory of the dead climbers, French Interior Minister Manuel Valls said.

'Great sadness'

Estelle O'Hara, headteacher of Poppleton Ousebank School, wrote in a letter to parents: "It is with great sadness that I write to inform you that two of the climbers killed in yesterday's avalanche... were parents from Poppleton Ousebank.

"The children have been informed and school staff have been supporting them throughout the day, providing a caring shoulder and answering any questions.

"We understand that the climb was to raise money for St Leonard's Hospice and so we will be collecting on their behalf."

St Leonard's was founded in 1985 in York and provides care for people with life-threatening illnesses.

James Alexander, Labour leader of City of York Council, said he was deeply saddened by the deaths of Mr Taylor and Mr Barber.

"I would like to offer their families and friends my condolences and offer any support and assistance we can provide at this difficult time."

The party is believed to have reached 4,000m (13,120ft) when the avalanche struck.

The alarm was sounded at 05:25 local time (04:25 BST) by an injured climber on the route, which is a popular one for people trekking towards Mont Blanc.

The French authorities say the avalanche was caused by heavy snow and was triggered by strong winds. They described it as "the most deadly" in recent years.

Eric Fournier, mayor of Chamonix, told a press conference on Friday: "It is difficult to foresee such kinds of avalanche.

"The guide knows the dangers and risks of avalanche, especially during July and August."

Speaking alongside Mr Fournier, the British ambassador to France Sir Peter Ricketts, thanked the French authorities for their support.

'Climb to live'

"The consular team is here to support victims' families who have travelled to Chamonix," Sir Peter added.

Nine other climbers of French, German and Swiss nationality were airlifted to hospital in Sallanches with minor injuries.

Mont Maudit - meaning the cursed mountain - is the third-highest peak in the Mont Blanc massif range, rising to 4,465m.

Mountain guide Richard Mansfield describes how the avalanche may have happened

Mr Payne has been described as "larger than life" by his friend of 35 years, Alan Hinkes.

The climber told the BBC: "You do push [the risks] to the back of your mind... we do not climb to die, we climb to live. It does enhance our lives.

"Roger was doing what he wanted to do... he was helping two people to get to the top... he will be sorely missed."

Mr Payne is understood to have been living in Leysin, Switzerland, with New Zealand-born wife Julie-Ann Clyma.

Sir Chris Bonington told ITV on Friday: "There's no way that anyone could have predicted [the avalanche]. Roger was an expert on avalanche danger... but that doesn't make any difference, they are unpredictable."

The BMC said about 20,000 people a year climb Mont Blanc, and that the mountain had been deemed "safe to climb" on Thursday.

But according to British mountaineer Kenton Cool, the area was known as something of an avalanche "blackspot".

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