MICROMEALS (2024 BDC)

Project:

Micromeals is a speculative design project exploring the future of food in response to increasing nitrate contamination in soil. Created by Hank Ball in collaboration with two other researchers, the project took the form of an interactive pop-up shop where participants selected foods that Hank then 3D printed. Each food item represented a potential future meal, some hopeful, others unsettling, designed to provoke thought about sustainability, environmental issues, and the changing relationship between humans and food systems.

Hank served as the project's Videographer, Editor, Writer, and AI Technician. He developed an AI-powered scanner that detected the 3D-printed food models and triggered corresponding videos to educate participants about what they were "eating" and the environmental context behind each item. This multilayered experience combined storytelling, speculative design, and emerging technology to create a powerful, immersive commentary on climate change and the future of nourishment.

Micromeals was selected as 1 of 50 international projects to be exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York during the 2024 Biodesign Challenge.