Phoebe Chow

An Evolutionary Cookbook Celebrating the Timeline of Travel, Culture, Heritage & Relationships

This practice-led project, A Taste of Time investigates time & evolution, and how it can be portrayed through both illustration & publication design. It acts as a personal testimonial to both my late grandmother and grandfather, delving into food practices culture, relationships and heritage changing throughout time.

This investigation is guided through a publication style cookbook, employing components of visual imagery and illustrations, both conceptually and physically developing overtime. The contrast between both the beginning and end is a an element that constitutes how one’s view of culinary practice can be shaped overtime through influencing factors such as travel, culture and relationships.

The narrative is inspired by a storytelling perspective, unpacking  past stories of both my grandmother and grandfather. A Taste of Time discusses their evolving relationship to the present time, integrating key characters into the storyline, including myself and close family.

With both illustration & publication design being contributing key methods to the final result, the research, external feedback and self-dialogue has provided numerous tested & developmental prototypes.

The aim of this exegesis is to demonstrate the power of culinary practice, and its ability to unite people to tell stories about one’s identity, thus, being a key storytelling pillar. It challenges our thinking into how we might perceive food, and how it can simply tell one’s story.