About Spring Creators
Each year, TONG Global supports young Chinese talents worldwide, helping them bring their artistic visions to life in music, fashion design, art, digital animation and beyond. Through the Spring Creators 创造·春 program, established three years ago, TONG Global provides a launchpad for these rising stars, showcasing their completed projects and offering opportunities for professional collaborations.
Leyu Li is a shining example of the Spring Creators program’s impact. This article delves into her artwork, Mulus Guide. We’re incredibly proud that Leyu’s work, with TONG Global’s support, will be showcased at the prestigious Dutch Design Week 2024.
Meet Leyu Li
Leyu Li is a multi-disciplinary and critical artist, currently based in London. Her research crosses the boundaries between Design, Sociology and Gastronomy. Food and Future drive and define her critical and interaction art practice. She uses food as a medium to raise questions about greater issues, challenge people’s existing perceptions, and provoke public dialogue and discourse about future food.
Mulus Guide: Redefining Fine Dining
The Mulus Guide project reimagines the Michelin Guide, redefining Michelin star criteria based on TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine). It rebrands “Food as Medicine”, and explores the integration of “Food Remedy” from TCM into fine dining. The focus is on the alternative dishes themselves and their customised tableware.
Directed by Leyu Li, the project has amassed collective insights from diverse disciplines. It engaged in collaboration with food ceramist Fo and support from professional chef Tony Fleming, skilled cook Letian, and TCM doctor Dr. Zhuang. They transformed three luxury French ingredients—caviar, truffle, and foie gras—into dishes using Chinese equivalents: Cordyceps, Deer Antler, and Donkey-hide Gelatine. These dishes aim to boost energy (Qi), enhance fertility, and nourish the blood, adhering to Chinese medicinal cuisine principles.
Food ceramist Fo has designed and crafted unique tableware for the dishes based on the aforementioned three ingredients. The design and form of the tableware are derived from the functions and visual characteristics of Cordyceps, Deer Antler, and Donkey-hide Gelatine. The design echoes the function and visual characteristics of each element, creating a harmonious synergy between the culinary and aesthetic aspects of the dishes.
A New Standard in Culinary Excellence
Mulus Guide challenges the prevailing influence of French cuisine in the realm of exquisite dining. It introduces new standards by incorporating symbolic ingredients from Chinese traditions. This project critically examines the cultural dominance in gastronomy, aiming to dismantle traditional hierarchies and expand the boundaries of fine culinary culture.
By breaking away from the conventional norms, Mulus Guide aims to foster a more inclusive and diverse representation of culinary excellence, embracing influences from global traditions, especially Chinese culture. The project’s mission extends beyond the mere act of culinary innovation, as it aspires to initiate a broader dialogue on cultural diversity and redefine the narrative surrounding fine dining. Through this approach, Mulus Guide strives to create a gastronomic landscape that is not only visually and gastronomically captivating, while also driving social and cultural transformation.
Meet the Team: Food Ceramist Fo (Ying Li)
Fo is a multi-disciplinary artist based in London and Beijing. With a background in industrial design and ceramics, Fo’s work explores the intersection of art, food, and sensory experiences. Through their installations, Fo creates immersive environments that challenge the traditional boundaries of art and food, inviting viewers to engage with their work through sight, touch, and taste.
TONG Global’s Spring Creators 创造·春 program continues to spotlight incredible talents like Leyu Li, pushing the boundaries of art, design, and gastronomy. Stay tuned for more groundbreaking projects from the rising stars supported by TONG Global.
