Trend publication

POLARITY PARADOX / THE CONVERGENCE ECONOMY

Lauren Ashdown

POLARITY PARADOX / THE CONVERGENCE ECONOMY Food & Drink

THE POLARITY PARADOX

Issue design by: Lauren Ashdown Š 2015 Fashion Communication Northumbria

THE POLARITY PARADOX

THE POLARITY PARADOX: NATURAL DELIGHTS

Moderation is dead, and the ‘norm’ is boring. In

todays society all or nothing and temporary extremes are better suited to our busy lifestyles and ‘try it once’ attitudes. The food and drink industry is no different. With the link between organic, natural produce and positive health benefits identified and put into practise, the Natural Delights trend can be seen as a progression from this day-to-day model.

With scientific evidence proving that bacteria, dirt and natural substances of which we once may have feared harmful, may in fact have health benefits, it makes sense to incorporate them into our diets. This trend takes organic to the next level, with rustic presentation, modern perfection complimented with dirt. Of course, this trend isn’t inspiring you to eat mud for three meals a day, simply taking nature and all of its sources and gaining the benefits in a regulated, sustainable way. It’s about changing our perceptions, taking something deemed as wrong and making it right.

To some it may shock, to others it may inspire, and to few it may come as no surprise, but to all it can benefit. The contradiction of eating something that in some way resembles the earth plants grow in, the sea-bed water caresses, or the dust antiques gather, may cause confusion to some, but it may just be the most rewarding, invigorating and self-actualising choice; the new ‘it’ thing in food and drink.

This trend is largely about definition, and finding the touch-points between dark and light, euphoria and sorrow, abstinence and indulgence, and luxury and frugality in order to create a memorable experience.

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When shopping at a supermarket, it’s easy to forget that our vegetables are grown in the dirt – our obsession with cleanliness and sanitation has seeped into our food, and any produce that’s not squeaky clean is discarded or ignored by consumers. Research has shown that exposure to diverse bacteria or even parasitic worms helps to train and regulate the immune system, preventing it from becoming overactive.

“Our obsession with cleanliness and sanitation has seeped into our food” To further this trend in order to make it suitable for the mass market, specific bacteria, microbes and beneficial natural substances would have to be identified and incorporated into appropriate dishes, flavours and presentations to maximise benefits.

Probiotic rich foods and supplements are a great start, but they are missing an important factor: SoilBased Organisms (SBOs). These soil based organisms have stronger strains of beneficial bacteria that can survive through the digestive system and provide the most benefit.

So why hide the true nature of the beneficial ingredients in our cooking? Let’s celebrate them, exhibit them, share them. The initial shock combined with the future benefit is sure to gain attention. Food lovers want to be unnerved and then delighted, this play with utopia and dystopia provides a service that helps people negotiate the Polarity Paradox.

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ABOVE: Incorporating natural ingredients into the presentation of a dish can add instant dramatic impact, confusion and intrigue.

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ABOVE: The natural substances can be used to conceal, decorate or add flavour to a dish. The uniqueness of the ingredient itself, especially the colour, can be a main driver behind it’s popularity. Black in particular is not often seen in food and drink.

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THE POLARITY PARADOX

ABOVE: This trend directly applies to both the food and drink industry and the beauty sector. With natural ingredients being beneficial both internally and externally.

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Engage austerity accepters

As the downturn kicks on, people are becoming bored. The Natural Delights trend is sure to grab peoples attention. Shock them with unusual condiments, garnishes, and flavours; give them a taste experience that they can smile about, laugh about, or even squirm about in the future. With disposable income at a low this trend not only has health benefits when consumed, but many of the advantageous substances that can be incorporated into your meals also double up as rewarding beauty products. Think charcoal lemonade and clay face masks. The appealing paradox of using dirt to get clean both internally and externally is the perfect driver for this trend.

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ABOVE: The health benefits that we have already began including in our beauty products such as black seaweed and clay may also double up as useful additions in our kitchen cupboards.

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THE POLARITY PARADOX

ABOVE: Tea and cocktails could be furthered with this trend in order to provide more natural and healthy alternatives.

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ABOVE: The use of natural garnishes and colours reinforces the organic nature of the trend.

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BELOW Everyday mud and dirt could be redeveloped for the food and drink industry in order to provide health benefits without causing any risks.

Natural flavourings could be added in order to improve both the taste and the health benefits of the dish.

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Do Disturbia dining

With societies constant need for intrigue and enticement in order to create an impactful experience, Natural Delights delivers a certain amount of disgust and unnerve to create a memorable initial response. This combined with the surprise and delight of the taste and the future benefits of the chosen ingredients is sure to impress. This trend can be dressed up and exaggerated in restaurants to create bold statements through presentation. What we once accepted as fermentation redeveloped and explored to create a new craze in food and drink.

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BELOW There is a scientific nature to this trend, in order for it to be successful and healthy the correct bacterias must be identified and extracted to be used safely in cooking. This requires analysing the particles and their effect on the body carefully.

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PREVIOUS PAGE: Plates of food could be served in quite shocking, messy ways that may reflect the particular ingredients used such as a muddy footprint when using soil extracts and bacteria in the food.

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PREVIOUS PAGE: Images showing natural sources of bacteria and dirt of which some goodness can be found.

THE POLARITY PARADOX

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BELOW Some companies including Juice Served and Juice Supply are actively using these natural products in there food and drinks such as this charcoal lemonade. (1)

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Be sensitive

In order to provide a service that enables people to have a cognitive reaction there must be some sensitivity that helps them to negotiate the Polarity Paradox. Therefore, although the Natural Delights trend aims to shock and surprise there must be boundaries that ensure overall satisfaction. This includes making sure all services are safe and risk free and have been tested. This trend aims to broaden peoples mindsets when it comes to food and drink, highlighting the goodness in produce derived from the Earth of which we may have once underestimated in terms of health benefits.

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ABOVE: Nature taken as it is, combining modern aesthetics with organic touches to remind us where it came from.

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ABOVE: Food no longer has to be thrown away because of discolouration or bruising.

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THE CONVERGENCE ECONOMY: MODERN ORGANIC

Organic has been a buzzword in the food and drink industry for some time. It’s association with health, vitality, and nature have made it a groundbreaking trend that is now a part of everyday life. But with organic comes a stereotype; a rustic and natural sense of purpose and style.

The Convergence Economy blurs the lines between lifestyle industries, between forms of art and entertainment, and between the senses. Therefore, the Modern Organic trend aims to merge the rustic style of organic food and drink with a modern, vibrant, artistic flair. This not only evolves the visual element of eating and drinking, but it injects artistic concepts to otherwise plain dining. Homegrown doesn’t have to be dull, organic doesn’t have to be beige; it’s time to introduce organic food and drink to modern day art.

The age we live in where there is so much communication going on makes everyone think in a broader way, and it’s easier to create these links 32

between media. The Modern Organic trend fits into the sensory aspect of The Convergence Economy, bringing life and colour in the form of visual artistic presentation to the natural and earthy taste of organic food and drink.

Let’s bring colour, fun, shape and form to food.

Create conceptual, healthy dining, with purpose and style. Parts of this trend are already visible within fine dining, however, the Modern Organic trend aims to redefine organic food in order to break down the neutral and simple aesthetics that surround it and limit its full potential and audience.

There is scope for this trend to synthesise the sensory elements of eating with the elements of art and culture in a purpose to enhance experiences and redefine the mundane.

OPPOSITE: The fusion of organic and artificial within food and drink provides a contrast of colours, textures and flavours.

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ABOVE: Using organic, natural flavours and produce and merging them with artistic style, shape and colour creates much more visually exciting dishes. (2) BELOW: Organic and home grown food has been a huge, rapidly growing trend over the last 10 years, but a similar rustic and homely style is usually associated with it.

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Be novel

By reaching out to differing industries that seem to have little to do with food and drink something new that intrigues consumers will be achieved. The Modern Organic trend takes into consideration the many benefits of organic food and drink, including the health and sustainability impacts it has on society. However, merging these aspects with shape, colour, and visually stimulating presentations will bring the dishes to life and increase the appeal. This is about taking the positives from a range of industries and translating them into the food and drink industry so that a new age of consuming is created. Fulfilment guaranteed!

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ABOVE: Playing with food and colours to create a sense of contrast and interest. (4)

ABOVE: Using different methods of food presentation and shaping to create abstract visuals. (6)

BELOW: Food merged with modern art to create a minimal, clean aesthetic. (5)

BELOW: Taking inspiration from buildings, landscapes, and culture in order to create stand out, concept food. (7)

ACROSS LEFT: Taking everyday food items and transforming their appearance is a simple, yet effective way to serve food. (3)

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PREVIOUS PAGE: The modern organic trend combines refined, sleek aesthetic with organic, rustic produce. The contrast between the glossy ceramic and the textures oranges highlights this fusion.

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ABOVE: Using cubes to delver fruit in a more sleek style contrasting to the natural origins and wooden board.

ABOVE: This trend focuses on the presentation of food, with a vital connection to shape and colour. How can we reinvent organic?

How can we bring organic food an element of style and modernity?

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PREVIOUS PAGE: Taking a natural material like bark and giving it a modern twist using unlikely, artifical colouring instantly updates the look.

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Engage the whole consumer

The initial response to food and drink are what engage it with the consumer. Making the food and drink visually enticing with draw them in. Use unlikely contrasts, distort true likeness and create something new. This trend can be combined with modern day artists in order to reflect particular movements, styles and cultures so that the food and drink arrives with meaning and effect that make the experience memorable.

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ABOVE: The Convergence Economy makes use of vital links within industries in order to maximise impact.

Within food and drink, different colours, flavours, textures and appearaces can be merged together and alternated in order to create new and exciting concepts. (8)

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ABOVE: Borough Market, London. This renowned food market offers some exceptional British and International produce. The inside hall combines modern, minimal architechture with rustic, organic styling. Making clever use of natural materials and colours.

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PREVIOUS PAGE: Simple visual adjustments to colour brings old textures to life; this contrast betweeen old and new would benefit restaurants and their interiors.

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ABOVE: Restaurants and their exteriors could also benefit from this trend through merging the traditional organic style with modern edges, and colours.

ABOVE: Using new methods of food preperation and presentation in order to deliver ultra modern results. (9)

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Think virtual

The Modern Organic trend could be furthered with linking the dining experience to virtual reality and technological advancements. This could aid in the sensory delivery of the meal such as altering perceptions and strengthening emotional reaction by including various sensory touches. We live in a time where we crave surprise and fascination, so why settle for average?

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ABOVE: Shape and colour bring food to life. Eye-catching presentation is therefore key in creating beautiful food.

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PREVIOUS PAGE: LEFT: The Baltic, Newcastle. Daniel Buran- Catch as catch can: works in situ. Shows the relationship between colour and mood.

RIGHT: Camden, London. Colour in architecture.

ABOVE: Playing around with disguising food and its natural appearance comes along with this trend as it seeks to reinvent the norms by merging different styles and expectations.

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ABOVE: Organic doesn’t have to be boring. Dress up the plate, submerse the produce in narrative.

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PREVIOUS PAGE: Colours and shapes deliver emotion and personality, they are therefore a useful tool to utalise within the food and drink industry in order to stand out from the crowd.

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ACROSS RIGHT: This combination of modern, bright, artistic concepts with traditional, muted, natural forms is a paring that is seen in various aspects of day-to-day life including architecture and fashion.

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IMAGE REFERENCING: All images taken by Lauren Ashdown unless referenced here:

(1)- p.24: http://www.juicesupply.com (2)-p.36: http://www.modernparentsmessykids.com/2014/04/rainbowhealthy-homemade-gummy-snacks.html (3)-p.38: Wendy Van Santen http://freeyork.org/photography/creative-food-photographyby-wendy-van-santen (4)-p.39: https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/156429787031656860/ (5)-39: Le Creative Sweatshop https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/246853623296117185/ (6)-39: Carl Kleiner https://www.pinterest.com/pin/39828777930646956/ (7)-39: David Abrahams http://trendland.com/david-abrahams-still-life-photography/ (8)-p.47: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/236016836697407142/ (9)-p.51: Irving Penn http://www.hungryghostcollective.com/post/55523878604/ irving-penn-still-life

THE POLARITY PARADOX

POLARITY PARADOX / THE CONVERGENCE ECONOMY

Lauren Ashdown

POLARITY PARADOX / THE CONVERGENCE ECONOMY Food & Drink