RTD2015 03 FATBERG: Chapter 1
Looking out towards the ocean, FATBERG is easily spotted by the flock of seagulls circling above, swooping down to nibble on its vast store of energy. Only a few square meters of the manmade island hoist themselves above the waves, slowly bobbing up and down, side to side. If you ask the creators of FATBERG why they made it, you might hear: we feel the need to archive our times; or, we’re building a strategic reserve, anticipating difficult times ahead. Whatever the reason for its creation, they sensed its need to exist, as a point of reference of fat’s emergence as the iconic substance of our time.
FATBERG is an ongoing critical design research project. A series of public design experiments, exhibitions and discussions, focused on the construction and growth of a floating island of fat – the FATBERG.
At Research Through Design 2015 we present observations from FATBERG: Chapter 1, developed in the build up to the project launch at MU (Eindhoven) during Dutch Design Week 2014. The exhibit and accompanying paper focus on the emergence of the FATBERG, illustrating the process and knowledge developed through our experiences of ‘getting to know fat’. Subsequently, we lay claim to the FATBERG as research territory, outlining the scope of our ambition.