An informal evening of ideas, talks and exchanges, exploring what it means to design today, what challenges twenty-first century designers face and which legacy they hope to leave behind. Through the presentation of a series of inspiring case studies, in which guest makers, designers and architects are invited to share their stories and perspectives, we aim to pose questions, launch provocations and inspire new mindsets.
The theme of this event, Designers who grow food, questions the relationship between design and local food production. The way we do agriculture on a large scale relies heavily on fossil fuels, chemicals, vast amounts of clean water and global supply chains. Its side effects turned the current food system into one of the major contributors to the environmental emergency. How do we move beyond that? What are the alternatives that allow us to produce and distribute food inside the city without compromising what’s around us—the environment, the non-human species, the wellbeing of the farmers? Which skills are designers and architects able to bring to the table (and to the farm)? And how do we close the gap between production and consumption?
About the talks
NOOCITY Urban Ecology is a Portuguese startup, focused on the development of smart products and services for domestic urban farming. Noocity’s goal is to empower urban farmers to grow more and better food everywhere in an efficient, practical and ecological way while promoting a responsible eco-transition.
RAIZ Vertical Farms is a Portuguese startup that uses hybrid energy technologies to transform underused urban spaces into vertical farms. ORTUS is Raiz’s latest modular hydroponic system, which employs parametric design and 3D printing using biocomposite materials. Its plant-centric design nurtures vegetation growth through shape and material composition. As a part of Raiz's urban farming initiative, it aims to reduce plastic reliance, while fostering a decentralised network of food and production.
HACKO is a system that helps recover rice bran, a nutritious by-product of grain cultivation. Its goal is helping the user to make Nukazuke, a Japanese method of pickle making with agricultural waste transforming it into something delicious. The project is part of Open Food Factory -an initiative by POLIFACTORY (Politecnico di Milano) dedicated to designing open source solutions for plant-based food with a focus on fermentation and distillation.
UPFARMING is an NGO co-founded by architecture studio PARTO that promotes food literacy, community development, participatory ecology, and well-being in cities through implementing holistic urban agriculture projects. Upfarming combines the productivity of vertical agriculture with the therapeutic benefits of community vegetable gardens, composting, and agroforestry in order to create new spaces for meeting, debating, sharing, and living together in the heart of cities.
About the organisers
BY THE END OF MAY is a research and design studio exploring the roles of manufacturing and crafts in creating a (non-linear), (post-consumerism) and (anti-alienation) economy.
Distributed Design acts as an exchange and networking hub for the emerging field of distributed design. The initiative, funded by the Creative Europe program, aims at developing and promoting the connection between designers, makers and emerging digital and local markets. Distributed Design's local activities are coordinated by the Politécnico de Lisboa.
Mouraria Creative Hub is the first business incubator in Lisbon that provides support to startups, projects and business ideas related to the creative and cultural industry, particularly in the areas of design, media, fashion, crafts and jewellery.
A Bairros is an active network of organisations and individual actors, which aims to contribute to the local development of Lisbon's neighbourhoods, collaborating in building active, cohesive and solidary communities. It assumes itself as an intermediary agent, focused on empowerment and sociocultural innovation.
Event: 22 September 2023 Lisbon, Portugal
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