New Approaches For Production And ConsumptionNew Approaches For Production And Consumption

What can the design world learn from the rigorous approaches to food production? Nominees for the New Material Award respond to the practices of chef Luc Kusters and biodynamic wine pioneer Erik van Pijkeren.

The food production chain is presently organised linearly - almost everything becomes waste and little of it is recycled. Much of this waste ends up in landfill where even a decomposing banana emits greenhouse gas when improperly buried amongst heaps of plastics, metals and organic material. To get rid of these heaps we have to find another use for our waste and ensure that as little material as possible is lost or thrown away along the entire production chain. Popular books such as _Lean Startup _have explored this, illustrating the factories of Toyota as a shining example of waste management.

Chef Luc Kusters of Michelin star restaurant Bolenius in Amsterdam will discuss his menus based mainly on vegetables (often from his restaurant's rooftop garden), but also his kitchen design, organised to be as space-efficient as possible. Erik van Pijkeren, who has developed a practice combining biodynamic wines with philosophy, shows us the effect of a circular approach to wine production in which the seasons and the phases of the moon play a role. Nominees from the New Material Award will also talk about how they pursue a similar vision with their own designs. Master chef Luc Kusters cooks _Nieuw-Amsterdams _cuisine. With his culinary experience from La Rive, Vossius and Le Cirque, Kusters opened Bolenius together with host and sommelier Xavier Giessen in 2010. Bolenius was named Best Vegetable Restaurant by Gault & Millau in 2015, made an entry in the Lekker Top 100, and in 2016 got its first Michelin star. Kusters manages his own vegetable garden on the Amsterdam Zuidas, and is one of the founders of Dutch Cuisine, a movement that aims to put Dutch food on the international map.

Erik van Pijkeren is the owner of Biodynamischewijn.nl and Wijn & Filosofie. He uses specific wines in a creative way to complement conversations and, through association, stimulate participants to critically examine some of their own ideas. He also gives lectures and tastings on the themes 'wine in antiquity' and 'biodynamic wine'.

Before the Thursday Night you can grab a bite to eat with the speakers and staff of Het Nieuwe Instituut. At 18:30 Het Nieuwe Café will serve soup with bread or a quiche with salad. Dinner vouchers are available for ¬ 7.50 up to a day before the particular Thursday Night event via the Tickets link.

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