This new AG will explore the complex topic of Proximity (regional) Food Systems and their key actors. Students will research a broad range of different concrete cases in the urban and peri-urban area of Cologne, develop characteristica to describe the cases and collect all cases in a case library or “Food Systems Atlas” that should be continuosly updated and extened. The Atlas should serve all KISD students for food-related projects to find different cases, to find interview partners – or to make own experiences in this domain of growing relevance for design.
In Summer 23, we will also deal with a very concrete case that emerged from a KISD project – and should become reality this year: “Kreislauf Wald” is an initiative that started in 2020 in the frame of the “Food: future/ cities” project. Inspired by a research trip to Taiwan, two of the students intend to replicate the ecosystem of a forest in a public green space in Cologne, for locals to harvest local food and materials. Citizens can use this space to reconnect with each other and with local plants. Supported by the Department of Green Spaces in Cologne and the City of Cologne, the project is due to be allocated at a parcel of the Von-Stein-Park, a public park in the Südstadt.
In the context of this AG, a team of students will design the forest and start planting in the summer termn. We will be organizing activities on site with inhabitants to plant and build infrastructures at KISD, with the objective of transforming the harvest in the food lab and the workshops of the school later in the year. If you would like to join this exciting activity project, don’t hesitate to drop a line at claraschmeinck97@gmail.com or anna.pueyo@ensci.com
As this is the first time the AG will take place, students will play a key role in defining the scope of the AG based on this outline. If you are interested in the complexity of Food Systems – or are excited about a very specific aspect (farming, processing, transport, food-related data, fermentation, social habits, food-related objects and more ) please come and join our journey!
See KISDspace https://spaces.kisd.de/food-systems-group