THE ROOT BOOK
Page 01-36
In a three-book series, the philosophy of food in the urban extends beyond its existing narrative. R O O T explores, celebrates & navigates the consumer toward more ethical & environmentally sustainable modes of conduct.
Using form, material and presentation, the powerful topic takes the observer on the food life-cycle journey from seed to growth, to decay, and back to growth. Self-sufficient production schemes ensures food security to all communities within the socio-economic dynamic of the urban space are something with great potential in the context of the Western Cape, South Africa.
VERMICULTURE
Vermiculture is the garden composting method that uses worms to generate nutrient-rich organic fertiliser and soil conditioner. The ecosystem is fed with organic matter such as decomposing fruit & vegetables, bedding materials, and vermicast, which is then flushed out as what is referred to as ‘worm castings’.
HYDROPONICS
With constant access to oxygen and an abundant supply of essential nutrients in the recirculated, aerated water source, hydroponics is a method that grow plants without soil.
PERMACULTURE
Permaculture is about designing, implementing and maintaining permanent natural systems to cultivate and foster mutually beneficial relationships.
It is essentailly about caring for earth and reducing negative impact on the environment by allowing all forms life to prosper and multiply. It allows for fair share by setting limits to consumption and redistribution surplus. It is the harmonious integration of landscape and people; providing food, energy, shelter, and other material & non-material needs in a sustainable way.
ROOT BOOK also captures my experience at Food Market in Mbare suburb in Harare, Zimbabwe. My intention was to initially reveal the great potential of these schemes in the African context that ensure food security to all communities within the socio-economic dynamic of the urban space.
It was the only other place that I had ever seen violet blues and seaweed greens interlace the same way that those cabbages did. As if I was amid the swirling thick water of the deep ocean; I yearned that same desire to touch, feel and experience what was right before me.
Design is anthropological - it names our ability to prefigure what we create before the act of creation; it is a fundamental characteristic that makes us human, and it is said by many people in many ways - ‘we all design’.
TONY FRY, 2012.
THANK YOU.
