A cultural pilot project with a simple dish as a starting point to explore the complex relationships that connect our everyday lives with the living systems that sustain us. By turning discovery into a artistic/experimental shared experience, we create space for young people to see the world differently, question what seems inevitable and imagine what else might be possible then share it with the public. Connecting a dish to themselves, others and the environment.
One dish. Two Cultural centers. A shared experiment in imagining a different future into being.
This project is developed in partnership with La Foresta in Rovereto train station in Vallagarina, Trentino. The project happens in parallel, sharing one method over two different contexts.
The idea
The existence of every dish can tell us something about the world which made it possible.
Behind a meal lie landscapes, soil, water, energy, farming, transport, labour, technology, economics, traditions and political decisions. These relationships are often invisible in everyday life, yet they shape both human wellbeing and the health of our planet.
From Planet to Plate invites young people to follow these connections, starting with a familiar, locally significant dish.
Working in small groups in Innsbruck, Austria, and Rovereto, Italy, young people will investigate where their food comes from, meet the people who make it possible and explore the systems behind it. Supported by artists and cultural experimenters, they will transform their discoveries into a public experience combining food, creative expression, storytelling and dialogue.
The aim is to make complex systems tangible, encourage new ways of thinking and give young people the experience of investigating questions, interpreting what they discover and sharing their perspectives with others.
How it works
1. Gather and orient
Young people meet, share a meal and choose a dish to investigate. The Planetary Health Diet provides a scientific orientation for exploring the relationships between human health and the Earth's living systems.
2. Follow the dish
The group embarks on a short research journey, meeting local producers, visiting relevant places and following the connections that make the dish possible. Their questions and discoveries shape the journey.
3. Reflect and create
Back at their cultural centre, the group works with an artist or cultural experimenter, and potentially a chef or food practitioner, to interpret their experiences as an artistic reflective layer and develop a creative response.
4. Host and share
The young researchers invite the public into an experience that brings their discoveries to life through food, storytelling, artistic interventions and conversation. They become hosts of a shared exploration rather than simply presenters of information.
5. Learn and develop
The two locations reflect on what worked, what they discovered and what the process made possible. The findings will help us refine the methodology and explore the potential for a larger European collaboration.
Who we are looking for
We are building a network of people and organisations who want to explore how culture, learning and food can contribute to socio-ecological transformation. We welcome conversations with:
Artists and cultural experimenters
We are looking for creative practitioners who enjoy working across disciplines and translating complex ideas into experiences people can feel, explore and discuss. You might work with performance, visual arts, design, sound, storytelling, participatory practice or other forms of creative expression.
Potential contribution: Accompany young people through their research and help transform their discoveries into a meaningful public experience.
Food-system knowledge holders
We want to connect young people with the people, places and processes behind their food. This could include farmers, food producers, chefs, food activists, community initiatives, energy providers, researchers and others working within the local food system.
Potential contribution: Share your knowledge, open a door to your practice, host a visit or help young people discover the relationships behind a dish.
Youth and education partners
We are interested in connecting with schools, educators, youth organisations and other initiatives working with young people, particularly those interested in interdisciplinary learning, creativity and sustainability.
Potential contribution: Help us reach young people, support their participation and explore how this approach could complement existing educational or youth programmes.
Scientific and sustainability experts
We welcome people working in planetary health, ecology, agriculture, climate, food systems and related fields who can help connect the project's creative exploration with sound knowledge and relevant local realities.
Potential contribution: Provide guidance, resources, contacts or opportunities for young people to engage directly with scientific and sustainability questions.
Future project and funding partners
We are interested in connecting with cultural networks, research institutions, universities, NGOs and organisations developing European collaborations around culture, youth participation, food systems and socio-ecological transformation.
Potential contribution: Exchange knowledge, help evaluate the pilot's potential and explore how its emerging methodology might develop into a larger collaborative project.
What we are exploring
This is a pilot, not a finished formula. We want to learn through practice.
Together, we will explore whether following a dish can help young people understand complex systems as interconnected relationships; whether lived experience and creative expression can stimulate curiosity, imagination and a sense of agency; and whether cultural centres can provide meaningful spaces for young people to investigate, interpret and share questions about the future.
We will document the process, reflect on what we learn and use the findings to develop the next stage of the project.
The wider ambition
From Planet to Plate begins with something ordinary: a meal.
From there, it opens a space to explore the extraordinary web of relationships that sustains life. It brings together cultural practice, scientific knowledge, local experience and young people's perspectives to make transformation something we can encounter, imagine and practise together.
We believe that the capacity to shape a different future grows when people can see connections, explore possibilities and experience themselves as active participants in the world.
One dish. Two places. Many connections. A shared experiment in imagining and practising a different future.
Join the exploration
Do you see a connection between your work and this project? Could you contribute knowledge, creative practice, access to a place, a learning opportunity or a new perspective?
We would like to hear from you. Get in touch to explore how we might work together and help shape the next steps of From Planet to Plate.
Let's start a conversation.