A BIte of Extinction

Rejuvenating food systems surrounding Madrid through a focus on culinary memory and strengthening biodiversity and community

Long description

This project focuses on the alarming decline of food diversity and the loss of culinary memory, specifically in the Madrid region. It analyses the globalised food landscape and the tendencies of homogenisation in both cultural preferences and agricultural choices. Scientific research suggests biodiversity to be one of the key factors to strengthen our current food system. Simultaneously national culinary memory is lost as ingredients keep disappearing, just as the population that used to grow and prepare them. In an attempt to link the different players in the food industry -scientists, farmers, cooks and consumers- I use design to inspire action, exchange and awareness. The proposal is tangibilized through the rehabilitation of the abandoned Fruit&Vegetable Market of Legazpi, into a place of encounter and neighbourly spirit to reconnect Madrileños with local produce and its flavours, introduce them to the world of agricultural research and rejuvenate the Spanish food system.