Alexandra Genis on designing food for a post-agriculture age

03/11/20 • 29 min

Alexandra Genis is an artist and the principal designer at TAS2R, a Food Design Studio in Berlin propagating Gastro-Intestinal Science-Fiction. She uses food as a biochemical and visual tool to transmit challenging ideas about ecology, innovation and science. Her projects seek to reframe human perception around what an edible substance is as well as challenge our consumption behaviors. In this episode, we look at the power of art and design to realize new possibilities.

1:50 The Atoma project, turning individual molecules into spices
2:48 The complexity of flavor and the limits of what we can taste
10:45 The importance of artificial foods in a post-agricultural age
22:00 Other projects Alexandra's worked on
24:00 Vision for the future food system

Episode Transcript
Related Links
Video of 3D Printed Flavor Molecules

Coffee Collective on the complex, delicious taste of coffee

Europe’s black market for wild foods

Climate change and producing wine in the Nordics

Eating insects is an ancient tradition, but it’s a novel food in the EU

Nick’s using high tech to make guilt-free treats

Never miss an episode. Subscribe to the podcast newsletter here.

This podcast was recorded live at the Future of Food Hackathon in Riga, Latvia and is supported by the Northern Dimension Partnership on Culture. For more conversation, join our community on Instagram and hear more episodes at www.nordicfoodtech.io.

1:50 The Atoma project, turning individual molecules into spices
2:48 The complexity of flavor and the limits of what we can taste
10:45 The importance of artificial foods in a post-agricultural age
22:00 Other projects Alexandra's worked on
24:00 Vision for the future food system

Episode Transcript
Related Links
Video of 3D Printed Flavor Molecules

Coffee Collective on the complex, delicious taste of coffee

Europe’s black market for wild foods

Climate change and producing wine in the Nordics

Eating insects is an ancient tradition, but it’s a novel food in the EU

Nick’s using high tech to make guilt-free treats

Never miss an episode. Subscribe to the podcast newsletter here.

Previous Episode

Dr. Mikelis Grivins on foraging and the black market for wild foods

Is foraging sustainable? Is a black market around wild foods okay? Dr. Mikelis Grivins, a senior researcher at the Baltic Studies Centre, has built his academic career on studying foraging and the sustainability transition in Central and Eastern Europe. In this episode, we discuss the alternative food system and business that exists around wild foods in Europe. We also take a look at how post-Soviet states like Latvia had to develop alternative food pathways like foraging and how that feeds into today's conversations around sustainability.

4:00 Overview of alternative food systems are important
17:00 4 types of foragers across Europe
20:20 Exploitation, transparency & regulation in the wild food market
25:00 Wild washing

Artist Alexandra Genis on why all foods are artificial

Using blockchain to trace food from farm to fork

The chef preserving Iceland’s food traditions

The Importance of Microbes in the Greenlandic Diet

Regenerative agriculture and our connection with nature
This podcast was recorded live at the Future of Food Hackathon in Riga, Latvia and is supported by the Nordic Council of Minister's Office in Latvia. For more conversation, join our community on Instagram and hear more episodes on www.nordicfoodtech.io.

Next Episode

Hey Planet's Malena Sigurgeirsdóttir on why a vegetarian eats insects

Malena Sigurgeirsdóttir is the co-founder of Wholi Foods, which was one of the first European companies to produce products with insect protein. Their portfolio includes snack bites, crisp bread, protein bars, and an insect-based meat alternative, which premiered at Roskilde Festival.

In this episode, you’ll hear how insects are tiny, but mighty, able to fight poverty, boost nutrition, reduce pollution, and combat climate change. Malena gives us the inside scoop on how they solved her own health issues and why soon they may not feel like such a novel food.

4:30 The avocado of insects
5:15 How Wholi Foods was started
12:40 Insects vs beef in taste, sustainability, and nutrition
18:50 Vegans, vegetarians, and flexitarians take on insects
29:10 Why the western world needs insects in their diet

For more conversation, join our community on Instagram and hear more episodes at www.nordicfoodtech.io.