Revive: Salted Fish (2018)

“Revive: Salted Fish” is the first exhibition to reimage the traditional ingredient, salted fish, from a design perspective.

The salted fish was once a meal staple generations ago due to its low price and easy storage. Along with the development of the city, dwellers are now surrounded by an abundant choice of food. This traditional and salty food is gradually losing its popularity and will eventually vanish. This exhibition suggested an alternative way through design and creativity to preserve this traditional food.

Over 20 design and creative products centred on salted fish were created, exploringits potential transformation amidst a modern context in terms of appearance, smell, taste and method of production.

Observing the consumer habit nowadays, the food package plays an important role to attract customers. Apart from designing a nicer package of woven rattan, paper art box, patterned wrapper, considering the new generation might not be familiar with the ingredient, an envelope with recipes printed on help guide its use from head to tail. Featuring the recent laser cut technology, the jigsaw puzzles cut on salted fish is not just a gimmick but a well-considered way for users to have better control over the amount of ingredients while cooking.

The exhibition also challenged the public’s perception about the flavour of salted fish. Instead of Cantonese home-cooked meal, it showcased some newly developed side dishes and by-products such as canned salted fish, salted fish sauce, shredded salted fish, mayonnaise, mead and even fragrance diffuser.

Aside from revitalizing the look and taste of salted fish, a DIY home curing chamber suggested an easy and accessible way for household scale salted fish production.

The exhibition put forth a comprehensive proposal to bring salt fish back to
marketplace. It is an example reflecting design and creativity not only help tighten
relationship between tradition and the ever-changing society but also encourage
imagination over every day objects.