October 16, 2015
Professor Fumitoshi Kato and his colleagues from the Faculty of Environment and Information Studies have won the Good Design Award 2015 for their activity "Curry Caravan," which creates a space for communication.
This award is a comprehensive design promotion system hosted by the Japan Institute of Design Promotion, honoring "good design" that enriches our lives, industry, and society as a whole.
In the judging for this year's Good Design Award, the project received the following evaluation, leading to the award: "It feels like such scenes used to exist. People would bring ingredients, cook together, and gather around the pot, eating and laughing while enjoying pleasant conversation. The mechanisms of capitalist society have established rational rules, and the economy and consumption control our lives as a matter of course. However, this also raises questions for us: What does it mean to live joyfully? What is a rich way to spend our time? What constitutes pleasant interaction with others? The Curry Caravan addresses these propositions. Through the series of actions involved in 'making curry' with participants, it is a way of connecting with people that seeks out, feels, and creates thoughts and methods for the future. It reminds us of the importance of the common ground that is being lost."
Book Information: "Tsunagaru Curry: Creating a Place to 'Savor' Communication" (Film Art, Inc.)
Comments from Professor Fumitoshi Kato
"Curry Caravan is an activity I started in March 2012 with Kensei Kimura and Aiko Kimura. Every time we go out, there are new discoveries and lessons, and we are now enjoying continuing the activity at a pace of about once a month. All the members are delighted that our formless and informal activity has been recognized. This informal structure creates diverse ways of engaging with people in the community. I have been reminded once again that food, not limited to curry, plays a crucial role when considering the nature of our communication."