Ontplooien
Nette Stynen
Antwerpen
About
Every meal we consciously experience leaves a trace in memory, a trace that can light up again years later. Suddenly you remember your grandmother’s garden in summer, when she told stories about her own mother, the soup with crusts, roses in bloom. As a child I ate with my hands, licked my plate clean, and curiously tasted everything I could imagine. Somewhere along the way, we lost that presence and playfulness. A shared meal is more than eating. It is an invitation to be present, with your senses and with each other. Food connects us to who we were and to the person sitting next to us. From graphic design and culinary arts I explore how these experiences can be shaped. I want to bring people together. You do not need to share the same interests to share a meal, to create a moment together that you carry with you afterwards. How can dining experiences be designed in a way that strengthens emotional connection between people? It is about presence. The moment unfolds on its own, once the invitation has been made.
Project
My research began with a photograph.
Every evening I took a polaroid of my dinner. Not for Instagram or as part of a project, but simply to look. On the back I wrote the date, what I ate, who I ate with, who cooked, and what stayed with me. Whether I was alone, with two people, or in a group.
Slowly, I began to understand what makes these moments so meaningful.
At first, my research was driven by aesthetics: a beautifully set table, abundant food, people together. But soon I realised that this was not the real question. Why does cooking and sharing meals affect me so deeply? What makes such a moment meaningful?
The answer was not in the food itself, but in what happens around it. The togetherness. The care you share by making something for someone else. Being present with your senses and with each other. Taking conscious time for a moment that would otherwise pass unnoticed.
From this idea, my research question emerged: how can dining experiences be designed in a way that strengthens emotional connection between people?
I organised dinners, pancake evenings, and workshops. I designed invitations and cooked for people who did not know each other. Each time, I witnessed how a shared meal sets something in motion, how conversations emerge, silences become comfortable, and connection grows simply by sitting together at the table.
What I discovered is that the moment already begins with the invitation and does not end with the last bite.
This idea is also translated into my object: a mobile that unfolds into a table. Everything needed to host a gathering is contained within it. It does not matter where it is unfolded, in a garden, a living room, or a parking lot. What matters are the people, the food, and the space that emerges.
Unfolding became not only a form, but also a way of thinking. The moment does not need to be perfectly staged. An invitation, a table, and presence are enough. The rest unfolds on its own.
As a graphic designer and culinary artist, I see food as a medium for connection. I do not only design objects or invitations, but try to create space for moments that bring people together and stay with them.
Food as connection.