Martí Guixé plants a nourishing seed of an idea in a playful exhibition in Melbourne

MELBOURNE – ‘Cloudy with a chance of kiwianas and other repast novels from the blue’ is a possible forecast for Melbourne in the coming months, relating to Martí Guixé’s new project. The renowned designer and food virtuoso presents Fake Food Park: Martí Guixé for Kids at the National Gallery of Victoria, his first major exhibition which opened this week.

Remember the old adage about not playing with your food? Well, Guixé does not agree with it and, in fact, he actively encourages it – through experimentation. His developments include concepts from food for physique (such as the Pharma system allowing people to breathe-in vaporised micro-nutrients) to food for thought (with his edible information products entitled Food Work). Moreover, his passion spreads to commercial interiors accompanied by interactive nourishment. For example, The Candy Restaurant installed in 2007 in Tokyo that offers a full-course dining experience consisting solely of the sweet stuff and a New York City banquet that has hand-drawn instructions to promote interaction and micro-snacking.

Martí Guixé Drawing for Fake Food Park: Martí Guixé for Kids, NGV Kids Exhibition, 2016

His new project is on a large-scale with an unspoken rule to note: anyone can cook. Developed especially for children and families, the Fake Food Park seals a tutti-frutti interior with graphics and hands-on digital activities inspiring a rethinking of the way we eat and think of certain foods. Using interactive multimedia displays in the kitchen replica, young explorers cook up new gastronomic ideas, bringing food blocks and fabrics into play. The exhibition turns designing into the new harvest-cum-prepare using imagination for all the fertile land and high-tech kitchen tools you need.

Martí Guixé Drawing for Fake Food Park: Martí Guixé for Kids, NGV Kids Exhibition, 2016