‘Edible Playscapes: A Hands-On Dining Experience’ explores eating as play to positively transform the traditional Western dining experience without the use of cutlery. By reimagining the dining table as a playscape, this project empowers individuals to explore with their hands, experiment freely, and create food combinations that encourage reflections on our dining rituals. The shared metal surface, reminiscent of a food preparation area, provides a space where making a mess is acceptable and encouraged. Play becomes a means of engaging creatively and meaningfully, while emphasising touch as a mindful and intimate way of eating, one that challenges conventional social and cultural norms.

Why Play with food?

As children, we’re often told not to play with our food, yet we engage in various playful food activities, from shaping and transforming it to using it in games and cultural traditions. We play with food in more ways than we might realize. In this context, playing comes from trying to make sense of the world around us in a creative, imaginative, curious, and meaningful way. By turning dining into a playful experience, this project fosters a more engaged, interactive relationship with food and ourselves, making us more conscious of what and how we eat.

Alejandra Alarcón is a Mexican interdisciplinary designer and artist based in Helsinki. Her practice explores the intersection of food and art, delving into social, political, and cultural dimensions. Through an experimental approach, she crafts interactive artefacts, edible installations, and multisensorial performances that examine our relationship with food. Alejandra holds an MA in Contemporary Design from Aalto University, and her work has been exhibited at Museo Universitario del Chopo, Helsinki Design Week, and Dutch Design Week.