Fragmented Foodscapes

The final International Student Week in the ESDL research project focused on systemic food issues and invited participants to explore complexity through playful and tangible approaches. The week was centered around the theme “Fragmented Foodscapes“. Students were asked to immerse themselves in the different food systems on the Île de Nantes, a district shaped by industrial history, urban transformation and diverse communities with different food practices and needs. Rather than developing direct solutions, participants were encouraged to reveal systemic interconnections and tensions through playful and analog formats.

The week began with a digital pre-meeting, where students were introduced to the topic and met their assigned groups. During the in-person week at l’École de Design Nantes Atlantique, they explored Systemic Design methods such as Causal Loop Mapping, Leverage Points, Iceberg Model and Causal Layered Analysis through lectures, hands-on exercises and tutored group work. Field visits, communal activities and informal exchanges supported collaborative learning throughout the week. The week concluded with final presentations in the open agora at l’École de Design Nantes Atlantique, where each group presented its analog kit to peers and staff.