Kristen Baumlier

NEWS

Food Font – Thanksgiving Alphabet Challenge!

Posted on November 20, 2012November 25, 2012 by Kbaumlier

This year is the first Thanksgiving Food Font challenge.

Make a Thanksgiving alphabet, submit the pictures to the Food Font site, and we will send you a Food Font sticker. Your alphabet will be edited and loaded into the Food Font tool which will launch in early Winter 2013.

You can print the alphabet checklists, then sit down at the Thanksgiving table or work in the kitchen. Do it with your family – or by yourself. Directions, an alphabet checklist, and other information are on the Make a Food Font Alphabet page on the Food Font project site. You do not need a lot of supplies – just some white plates or a white surface to work on, a digital camera, and some food. Why not play and write with food? (and then eat it!)

For more information or if you have questions – send them to info [at} foodfont [dot] com – or use the contact form on the site.

Good luck, have fun, and try not to eat too much.

Take the challenge and make a Thanksgiving food alphabet!

Links:

Food Font – Make a Food Alphabet Page

Talking Trash – Reet Aus Upcycling Fashion Designs

Posted on November 19, 2012November 20, 2012 by Kbaumlier

I recently checked out what was going on with Pixelache, in Helsinki Finland, and read about an upcoming workshop by Reet Aus, based in Tallinn,Estonia. Her work is inspired by how discarded garments can become wearable designs.

Aus works with production leftovers, and other upcycled materials and promotes the the idea that this model can be applied to mass production.

Her PhD thesis that she completed in 2012 focused on how to bring textile waste back to the production cycle in fashion design; how to understand and test various upcycling approaches and techniques; and how to put this method into practice for mass produced garments as well as individual pieces.

Her current work explores how to promote the wider use of upcycling in fashion design, both in Estonia and globally. She recently did a workshop where she presented a design model to create products with minimal environmental impact.

Her clothing and designs are called Trash to Trend. There has been a lot of action in the area of upcycling and making individual pieces and diy projects, but Aus is interested in how this model can be applied to larger systems and processes.

The model that she promotes is comprised of three elements:

1. Waste mapping and a database that gives designers an overview of where local textile waste is being produced, its type, and quantity.

2. Design techniques that offer designers techniques for upcycling textile waste in fashion design. Within the model there are a variety of techniques that provide for one-off pieces, small-scale manufacturing, and mass production.

3. A web-based platform that is an interactive framework integrating the various elements that makes direct communication possible between waste generators, designers, and clients. This creates a transparent product chain is created, waste data is accessible, techniques are shared, and upcycled products can be sold and marketed.

Her work, research, and writings can be seen on her website. Is this the future of fashion?

Image Source:
http://reetaus.com/

Links:

http://reuse.ee/trashtotrend/?page_id=7

http://reetaus.com/

A Visualization and Inforgraphic of How the Millennials Eat

Posted on November 18, 2012November 20, 2012 by Kbaumlier

I recently came across a Infographic made by ThinkSplendid.com that puts into visual form the food and food spending habits of the millennial generation. I currently teach students who are of this generation (born between 1979-2000), and I found it interesting to learn about their spending habits, types of food that they will buy, and how often they eat.

The data presented supports that young people are willing to spend more on special and premium ingredients. In the top ten brands that are trusted, Trader Joe’s, Ben & Jerry’s, and Whole Foods are in the list.

Being a “foodie,” and exploring novel and gourmet foods is on the rise, and being socially responsible with food choices is higher with this group than other generations.

The information supports that gluten free food is on the rise, and being part of a social network influences choices in grocery shopping and restaurants.

You can check out the full graphic below, or read more on thinksplendid.com’s site.

Image Source:
www. thinksplendid.com

Links:

www. thinksplendid.com

The Everything Roof – A New Community Food Project in Toronto

Posted on November 16, 2012November 20, 2012 by Kbaumlier

Where can you grow your own food, compost, do upcycling projects, support education and awareness about sustainability, and grow food on top of a building? In Toronto you soon will be able to do these things at a new center called The Everything Roof, which is being created by a group called The About Face Collective.

The About Face Collective was started by Natalie Boustead and Lauren Pirie, in collaboration with other community members. The group consists of people who engage with art, sustainability, food security, health, and with the city. In Toronto, there is not a historical tradition of valuing community and public space.

The Everything Roof was developed as a platform to showcase creative approaches to sustainability and community space and to show how involving artists and designers in community projects can be a benefit to a city. The project is unique because it incorporates art and youth as well as sustainable urban food production. . Together, the group developed a vision of a creative community space that would promote healthy, sustainable lifestyles as well as integrating artistic and sustainable approaches. To do this, they are collaborating with other non-profit programs and groups and did a campaign to get support for the space.

The black tar roof of the spaces of the project will be replaced with green space, which will create plant life and food in the urban environment. The food that’s produced will be used on-site in educational programs and workshops, and it also will be sold at the on-site weekly office market and ground-floor cafe at the Center for Social Innovation.

Currently The Everything Roof is still in development and aims to be operational by summer, 2012. If you are interested in learning more about the space, you can email them at [email protected] with “Volunteer” in the subject line. You can also visit their website and check out their fun video on Vimeo.

Image Source:
http://www.aboutfacecollective.com/
Links:

http://www.aboutfacecollective.com/

http://vimeo.com/35942278

Food Font: 22 Community Alphabets and 1209 Letters Later

Posted on November 4, 2012November 4, 2012 by Kbaumlier

This year there were lots of public Food Font events done in various locations. The goal of the events was to get the project into public and to start to build community for the project. The Summer and Fall Food Font events have wrapped up, and currently the focus is developing the online Food Font tool. It is nice to take a moment and reflect back on the past Food Font events.

The events started with the initial Food Font event being done at the Cleveland Institute of Art, where students, faculty and staff made two lunchtime fonts; a alphabet made of food from the vending machines and a alphabet made of food from peoples’ packed lunches. Later in Summer, Food Font went on the road. So what happened? Let’s take a look.

12 community events that were done this Summer and Fall
Events were done in 5 States which include Ohio, Wisconsin, New York, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania. Cities include Cleveland, OH; Buffalo, NY, Milwaukee, WI; Pittsburgh, PA, and Carrboro, NC.
Highlights in Cleveland include being at the RIPE festival at the Cleveland Botanical Garden, at the Ingenuity Festival, and at the West Side Market 100^th Anniversary Festival.

So what exactly was done at the events?

A total of 22 community alphabets were created
1209 letters (!) were made out of food
A variety of types of alphabets were made that include both uppercase and lowercase alphabets. Some of the alphabets are for English and Spanish.

If you have not taken a look in a while, make sure you check out the Food Font Flickr page. You can view and download all of the letters and alphabets. There are also pictures from the events.

Currently there is one alphabet still in the works which is made of Cleveland Food Truck Food in Cleveland. There also are about 4 alphabets that were made to launch the project and are already edited for the online tool. These include an alphabet made of kale, a holiday dinner alphabet (made of Kbaumlier’s Holiday dinner food from the appetizer to the dessert), an alphabet made of gum drops, and circus peanut alphabet.