Zhiye Hui

Zhiye Hui is a Chinese designer. She has a background in product design. Graduated from the Central Academy of Fine Arts. During her BA she focused on design methodology, problem-solving, inheritance, and innovation of traditional craftsmanship.

She believes that designers should not only think about solving the problems that arise in the present but also have an obligation to challenge the problems that may arise in the future. This is why she currently focusing on social phenomena, human behaviour and culture, where she hopes to find opportunities to design work that will have a positive impact on the world.

Standard / non-standard food

Products - Peelers & ID card/ Fake food

This project reflects on current food production methods. It specifically questions the over-standardization of fruit and vegetables and the way 'flawed goods' are discarded. In a future where food will be even more scarce, we need to adjust our attitude towards perfection and selection. Hundreds of vegetables and fruits get discarded every day for not complying with current standards of quality when the majority of these fruits and vegetables are perfectly fit to be consumed. The project works as a provocation by designing costume made peelers for non-standard fruits and vegetables, emphasising the beauty of imperfection and the value of diversity. The project seeks to encourage people to reflect on their food choices and to change behaviours that would put pressure on supermarkets and food suppliers to change their approach to fruit and vegetable standards.

A series of imperfect tomatoes and pink radishes were collected to produce a series of peelers and information cards. Each peeler blade was costume-made following the imperfect shapes and forms of each fruit and vegetable, breaking from the notion of a standard tool that fits them all. The information card seeks to highlight the beauty and uniqueness of each item.

Medium:

stainless steel

Continuing the exploration of food scarcity and food supplies, this part of the project explores the potential of fake food as a provocation to reflect on a future where food scarcity is commonplace. Could visual satisfaction, through color schemes and variety, compensate for the lack of food?

Medium:

ceramic

Zhiye Hui

Medium:

Medium:

Social

About

Royal College of Art