Evocative Food Design by Ayako Suwa

You may have heard the phrase “edible art”, but what about “food design”? As a relatively new area, there are several explanations and definitions for what encompasses this fascinating concept. For artist Ayako Suwa, “food design”, in terms of her artwork and food, represents a “design of the senses”, “design of emotions”, and “design of desires”.

Suwa’s world of art centers around food — given a word, color or brand, she designs a palatable concept to match. In Suwa’s interview with Fine Dining Lovers, she describes her excitement in developing projects both for herself as well as for luxury brands.

In her Tokyo studio, Food Creation, Suwa has built edible installations for galleries, magazines and luxury brands, including Gucci and Veuve Cliquot.

Pushed by curiosity, human desires and emotions, Suwa uses the world around her as inspiration — for example, upon first drinking the venom and blood of a snake at a Taiwan night market, she found stimulation and inspiration thru her own curiosity, rather than the tasting itself.

Vivid, raw, sensuous, inspired or insane — whatever description one may use to describe Suwa’s creations, we cannot help but react and feel, which is at the heart of her talents.