artandsciencejournal:

JIHYUN RYOU

A quick review before Sunday’s edition.

How many items have we left in the fridge with the assumption that “it will last,” taking it for granted that because its temperature is set within the golden range of 35 to 38 degrees celsius we need not worry, unless the power goes out. 

With the introduction of the refrigerator into the average home around the 1950’s, food storage, sustainability, and quality were taken as a given. Somehow, because of the convenience and ease of an “open-door” policy, we seem to have forgotten the essentials of what food (vegetables, fruits, meats and cheese’s) entail namely, responsibility and care. How do we go about this? Well According to Jihyun Ryou one way is to do what she has done and design a minimalist food preservation system for the modern kitchen. 

What differentiate’s Ryou’s designs from other “buy it off the shelf” or “designer” goods is the importance and transmission of traditional oral knowledge. Traditional oral knowledge brings long or forgotten food practices back into everyday living.    

By designing minimal objects for everyday use, Jihyun Ryou gives us an opportunity to enhance our experience and knowledge of food and the traditional oral practices that shape food culture. Foremost, Ryou’s designs remind us of our continual dependence upon food and asks us to consider how we approach and treat such food.   

- Lee-Michael Pronko

(via layersoflife)