Food For Thought
In SKN, we analyse the relationships through which we are connected to our living environment, as we shift our focus away from the individual to the collective, from the person to the non-human in a posthumanist perspective. Through emphasising the relationships between nature in design, whether it is human to human or human to the non-human environment, we strive to highlight the connections and the mutual dependency within what we deem nature to be. I approach this interconnectivity through the notion of ‘nourishment’. How can we ‘nourish’ what is essential to our survival?
The term 'nourishment' is explored at three scales in my project: Responding to the site brief and analysis, the nourishment of the soil is achieved through phytoremediation with the help of plants like willow and sunflowers in order to detoxify the earth and encourage biodiversity. The allotment spaces and greenhouse serve to nourish the body and the residents of Manchester through the use of the community kitchens on site, while the site itself acts as a museum and exhibition space utilising the central dining/ exhibition pavilion, raising awareness and nourishing the mind through education.
Inspired by the kitchen table as the smallest and most meaningful space of human connection, The Kitchen Table Pavilion and The Community Kitchens foster environmental consciousness through community cooking and interactive dining. The project seeks to raise awareness around food consumption, decrease food waste and address food insecurity in Manchester through inclusive, community-driven kitchens and allotment spaces. The site itself becomes a museum, where the pavilion exhibits these elements through the act of eating a dish created on site.
