Collective spaces and collected action: towards reconnecting food, consumers and nature

Abstract

Disconnection between food production, its consumers and in turn between consumers and nature is increasingly seen as problematic for both producers and society at large. Consumers now know very little about where their food has come from, leading potentially to less sustainable practices and less engagement with what they eat and drink. We present the concept of reconnecting food (in this particular example, coffee) and consumers through design interventions in the High Street, employing digital innovations based on concepts from the Internet of Things and pervasive public displays. Two interventions carried out within the setting of J. Atkinson & Co. coffee and tea merchants in Lancaster City are discussed. We document the research processes, interaction design and their implementation in relation to notions of reconnecting products and consumers. Future interventions within the setting are also presented in order to demonstrate the on-going dialogue between researchers and retailers. We show that through exploring reconnection through storytelling within a retail environment there is potential to tackle the issues raised in the paper and engage with retailers and consumers.