Abstract
Food and eating (re)connect humans daily with worlds within and beyond us. From the trillions of microorganisms that help make us who we are; through the socio-culturally and tangibly graspable people, animals, plants, fungi and algae that we cohabit with; to decreasingly relatable systems of food production and provisioning across the planet, food stitches us together. We provide four mini cases to consider how using food as a methodology for experimental design research can build relations towards ensuring ‘the good life.’ We explore what the good life is, why relationality sits at its heart, and provide a framework for using food as a methodology for participatory Research through Design to examine how food-based inquiries (re)invigorate design’s worldmaking capacities, foster agency and transformative potential, connecting humans to others through cultural food heritage, for the good of all. The paper contributes to experimental design research by positioning food as a methodology; bridging worldmaking, multispecies relations, and food narratives; highlighting food’s experiential, relational and performative nature; its capacity to shape identities and social belonging.
Keywords
participatory Research through Design; food co-creation; intangible cultural heritage; gastroimaginaries; the good life
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/nordes.2025.38
Citation
Wilde, D., Nazvi, L.,and Karida, M.(2025) Co-creating the good life through food-based inquiry, in Brandt, E., Markussen, T., Berglund, E., Julier, G., Linde, P. (eds.), Nordes 2025: Relational Design, 6-8 August, Oslo, Norway. https://doi.org/10.21606/nordes.2025.38
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
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Co-creating the good life through food-based inquiry
Food and eating (re)connect humans daily with worlds within and beyond us. From the trillions of microorganisms that help make us who we are; through the socio-culturally and tangibly graspable people, animals, plants, fungi and algae that we cohabit with; to decreasingly relatable systems of food production and provisioning across the planet, food stitches us together. We provide four mini cases to consider how using food as a methodology for experimental design research can build relations towards ensuring ‘the good life.’ We explore what the good life is, why relationality sits at its heart, and provide a framework for using food as a methodology for participatory Research through Design to examine how food-based inquiries (re)invigorate design’s worldmaking capacities, foster agency and transformative potential, connecting humans to others through cultural food heritage, for the good of all. The paper contributes to experimental design research by positioning food as a methodology; bridging worldmaking, multispecies relations, and food narratives; highlighting food’s experiential, relational and performative nature; its capacity to shape identities and social belonging.