“Ela re” is a food exhibition that introduces Souvlaki to the visitors of Madison Square Park, activating all of their senses apart from taste.
Not just another wrap. Not just another fast food.
Souvlaki is a popular Greek delicacy, with a long history rooted in ancient Greece. New Yorkers are familiar with it, but how much do they know about the culture behind the food?
Even after Greeks are done eating Souvlaki, they spend hours talking while holding the remains of the wrapped package. It doesn’t matter where you eat Souvlaki, but it is the social process of enjoying this food that brings people together.
The client is Madison Square Park, a NYc park, which aims on engaging the visitors by presenting numerous events and art exhibitions.
The audience of “ela re” is young professionals on their lunch breaks, but also park-enthusiasts. Specifically, the age group extends from mid 20s to mid 50s
During my demographic research in MSP I realized that it is more a place of convenience rather than a choice. To me, a park is a social place where you meet different people, and the image of the MSP as an interactive hub was lost. My goal is to create a platform that will use Souvlaki as a reason for interaction amongst the people of different backgrounds.
“Ela re” is a socializing platform, which brings people in the park together. The Installation is both a human-interaction area, as well as a way to attract people of all walks of life to visit Madison Square Park. "Ela re" is using Greek peoples' voices and experiences to describe the feeling of Souvlaki.
Press the button to listen the Wayfinding Audio Installation in the MSP.
Press the button to listen the "talking bench" of "ela re" installation.
The talking bench reveals secrets about the Greek Culture and also words in Greek. The bench encourages visitors to observe their surroundings by gossiping other people who are on the platform!
The challenge is to create experiences, which have at the same time different levels of group participation. The second one is to shake people out of their routine and make them explore the installation. The third matter is the balance in which the Greek element will be presented to the visitors. My last concern is to avoid the “amusement park” effect. This is why “ela re” it is shaped of multisensory experiences, wrapped by meaningful insights about Greek culture.
This project was created in November 2018, for the Exhibit Design Studio of Michele Washington and Robin Drake, in the Master’s Program of Exhibition and Experience Design, Fashion Institute Technology, NY.
Special thanks to the voice model of the recordings, Gigi Malapani.
