Photo: Lola Diaz Cantoni
Reflexivity
The ‘Reflexivity table- Reflections on Speculaas. Speculaas for reflections’ is a result of my design research for the project Speculating through Speculaas. The project is a collaboration with Groningen (NL) based artist Lola Diaz Cantoni and EAT Collective. During this time, various subjects were explored using the speculaas spices, koekjes and its wooden molds as departure point, investigating connections between art, food production and cultural heritage.
It is believed that the name ‘speculaas’ comes from the Latin word ‘speculum’, as the image on the cookie dough is a mirrored version of the one on the mold. Building on this concept, I used the ‘Speculaaskoek’ as a medium for reflection.
"Reflexivity" meas being able to examine their own feelings, reactions, and motives (= reasons for acting) and how these influence what they do or think in a situation.
During my research, I looked into different subjects connected to food production, sustainability, Dutch cultural heritage and traditions, and Groningen’s identity. Through my process, I interviewed different stakeholders, always using the speculaas koekjes as a starting point for the conversation. Besides speculaas, all those discussions shared one common element: a table. The Reflexivity coffee table is a materialization of my findings and a metaphor for those discussions.
This project was supported by the grant Culture Moves Europe, a project funded by the European Union.*
*This work was produced with the financial assistance of the European Union. The views expressed herein can in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of the European Union