The Microbe Apparatus by Domile Cepaityte

Bacteria, yeast fungus and algae may not seem like the most appetizing ingredients. But perhaps they will form the mainstay of our diet 30 years from now, when the planet’s food systems have broken down? Domile Cepaityte designed a fictitious kitchen device that will turn these unpalatable ingredients into sustainable, delicious and aesthetically appealing food. The project is speculative and illustrates the need to imagine the future.  

More about the project:
The way we're eating today is contributing to the fact that we might not be able to eat in 30 years. If we make the change now we might avoid some of the climate change consequences.

So how can we feed ourselves - the growing global population while reducing the environmental harm as the unstable climate makes food production increasingly challenging?

One of the solutions is microbial food – nutritious dead biomass from bacteria, algae, fungi or yeast.

It is much more sustainable, compact, and faster to cultivate than crops or animals.

The issue is, however, that people don't know or don't want to know about it.

That's where Speculative design comes in.

It is through the purchase of products that we shape the reality as consumer-citizens. That is why I took an abstract and foreign concept and placed it in front of the viewer in a shape of a product.

“The Microbe Apparatus” consists of such elements: a small water tank, two microbial powder carousels, a flexible gut where the user kneads and extrudes the microbial dough, an extrusion hole drawer, an oven, and a small plate for a modest but nutritious meal.

The function of this machine is fictional. The real function of it is to facilitate collective dreaming about the future we want.