London's Kitchen:London Design Festival 2021

Exhibition Dates: 18-26 September 2021Exhibition Venue: Park RoyalInspired by the work of three food re-distribution charities, located in and near Park Royal, Lunch is a series of limited-edition ceramics based on individual items of food. Through a series of interviews with the charity directors at Bubble & Squeak, Ealing Community Aid and Harlesden Mutual Aid, I learnt about their work and incredible efforts to help their local communities during the Covid-19 pandemic.The editions include “wonky” apples, pears, figs, strawberries, onions, and bell peppers inspired by Bubble & Squeak’s wonky fruit and veg chutney; cakes inspired by Ealing Community Aid, whose volunteers baked cakes for NHS workers; and a variety of bread loaves inspired by the food packages that Harlesden Mutual Aid deliver to those in need.During our conversations, each organisation emphasised the importance of meeting individual needs by accommodating an array of dietary requirements and preferences. They also discussed the significance of providing variety to their communities, as well as the correlation between food and mental health. For these reasons, I decided to concentrate on making a range of individual items by hand, so that each object in the edition is unique.