Some of the most interesting lectures I sat through at Design School were on innovative materials, how to source them and how to incorporate them into our designs. Using materials in a less conventional way than they were designed for always excites me. Endless visits to SCIN Gallery and Material Lab are always a huge source of inspiration. During these COVID-19 strange times, my senses are constantly being stimulated when you read about how renowned design houses are repurposing their production lines to produce urgently sought after personal protection equipment (PPE).
There are three companies: Heap & Partners, Mercedes-Benz and Airbus who have been working on creating a valve using 3D printers to enable snorkelling masks to be repurposed as ventilators. This is another brilliant example where designers are using technology to create tangible practical and essential equipment.
In Italy we have seen Armani converting all of its production plants to manufacture PPE equipment, Prada and Louis Vuitton have refocused their production to medical overalls and masks, and many hundreds of brands pivoting themselves to new pastures. This no doubt gives us a feel-good feeling that these huge conglomerates have hearts and we are all in this together.
Obviously there are so many millions of lives affected and I'm feeling thankful for everything that we have; I know it's annoying to have to re-learn maths and sciences to enable us to help home school our children, and not have our roots done, our nails manicured or go and sip our daily artisanal coffees, but let's think of the millions of people who are homeless - how are they expected to #stayhome #staysafe but thankfully there are people out there across the globe helping people much less fortunate than us. We volunteered last week to help pack 19,000 food packages for vulnerable persons - it was some feat, every day we constructed the boxes (and their lids), filled them with potatoes, onions, butternut squash, maize meal, rice, powdered milk, tinned foods and face masks. Every evening I came home and had a long and relaxing soak in my bath and thanked my blessings for everything, and everyone in my life, my body aching from the manual labour, I couldn't help but think how grateful the people would be to receive the food parcels, but also felt horribly guilty that I was about to have a healthy balanced hot meal, would then play cards with the children and later watch Money Heist on Netflix whilst nibbling on a bar of Lindt with a touch of sea caramel - all enjoyed in the sanctuary of a comfortable home.
My plan in October half term was to go to Paris with Thibaut and volunteer at Refettorio Paris - which is a truly altruistic organisation (stating that they are not a charitable project, but a cultural one) and the name's origin is Latin, meaning "to remake and restore", which resonates so deeply with me. Refettorio's goal is to provide meals from donated food which is about to expire and creating a daily menu out of those perishable food items. The restaurant offers dinner to people who are in situations of social vulnerability transforming surplus ingredients into delicious meals which would otherwise be considered waste. The space itself was designed by Encore Heureux and RF Studio, the environment they created is warm, made of sustainable materials and beautifully makes proper use of the restaurant's space in the crypt of La Madeleine. Refettorio is now providing We will get to do this, but who knows when that will be. There are other Refettorios in existence - in London there is Refettorio Felix - which is a collaboration with Massimo Bottura's non-profit organization, Food For Soul. The original Refettorio was in Milan - Refettorio Ambrosiano, which continues to thrive, there is also establishments in Rio. Let's hope that Bottura's initiative can indeed become a worldwide movement to combat waste and feed the hungry in one and the same gesture.
Who else has been watching Massimo's daily cooking lessons on his instagram page? They are amazing, incredible how he conjures up the most gastronomic delights with ingredients that most of us have in our kitchen cupboards.
#STAYSAFE #STAYHOME
XO
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| Here is a flexible resin cladding which holds single, energy efficient LED sources, appearing as floating, dreamlike surfaces, from Material Lab |
There are three companies: Heap & Partners, Mercedes-Benz and Airbus who have been working on creating a valve using 3D printers to enable snorkelling masks to be repurposed as ventilators. This is another brilliant example where designers are using technology to create tangible practical and essential equipment.
In Italy we have seen Armani converting all of its production plants to manufacture PPE equipment, Prada and Louis Vuitton have refocused their production to medical overalls and masks, and many hundreds of brands pivoting themselves to new pastures. This no doubt gives us a feel-good feeling that these huge conglomerates have hearts and we are all in this together.
Obviously there are so many millions of lives affected and I'm feeling thankful for everything that we have; I know it's annoying to have to re-learn maths and sciences to enable us to help home school our children, and not have our roots done, our nails manicured or go and sip our daily artisanal coffees, but let's think of the millions of people who are homeless - how are they expected to #stayhome #staysafe but thankfully there are people out there across the globe helping people much less fortunate than us. We volunteered last week to help pack 19,000 food packages for vulnerable persons - it was some feat, every day we constructed the boxes (and their lids), filled them with potatoes, onions, butternut squash, maize meal, rice, powdered milk, tinned foods and face masks. Every evening I came home and had a long and relaxing soak in my bath and thanked my blessings for everything, and everyone in my life, my body aching from the manual labour, I couldn't help but think how grateful the people would be to receive the food parcels, but also felt horribly guilty that I was about to have a healthy balanced hot meal, would then play cards with the children and later watch Money Heist on Netflix whilst nibbling on a bar of Lindt with a touch of sea caramel - all enjoyed in the sanctuary of a comfortable home.
My plan in October half term was to go to Paris with Thibaut and volunteer at Refettorio Paris - which is a truly altruistic organisation (stating that they are not a charitable project, but a cultural one) and the name's origin is Latin, meaning "to remake and restore", which resonates so deeply with me. Refettorio's goal is to provide meals from donated food which is about to expire and creating a daily menu out of those perishable food items. The restaurant offers dinner to people who are in situations of social vulnerability transforming surplus ingredients into delicious meals which would otherwise be considered waste. The space itself was designed by Encore Heureux and RF Studio, the environment they created is warm, made of sustainable materials and beautifully makes proper use of the restaurant's space in the crypt of La Madeleine. Refettorio is now providing We will get to do this, but who knows when that will be. There are other Refettorios in existence - in London there is Refettorio Felix - which is a collaboration with Massimo Bottura's non-profit organization, Food For Soul. The original Refettorio was in Milan - Refettorio Ambrosiano, which continues to thrive, there is also establishments in Rio. Let's hope that Bottura's initiative can indeed become a worldwide movement to combat waste and feed the hungry in one and the same gesture.
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| Plate setting at Refettorio Paris |
Who else has been watching Massimo's daily cooking lessons on his instagram page? They are amazing, incredible how he conjures up the most gastronomic delights with ingredients that most of us have in our kitchen cupboards.
#STAYSAFE #STAYHOME
XO
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