Death, Design & Tortilla's: Dia de Muertos Dinner in Amsterdam

Restaurant De Pijp in Amsterdam was the location were 'Design' met 'Death'. The Latin American Design Foundation organized - together with Metro Sur - a Mexican Dinner which was illustrated with design in the theme: The Death of Design. Many Mexican Designers sent in their contribution, of which some were selected to be shown during the dinner (and later: through the Metro Sur site).

The goal of the dinner was to show design in its cultural context. LADF believes that design can be appreciated better if the background and traditions from which the design comes from are shown as well. This time the choice was about Mexican design.

The dinner was an amazing culinary adventure. The cooks in the restaurant received cooking lessons by Gabriela and Valeria, and added their year long experience resulting in a five course menu for around 70 people. It was a full house and the restaurant had a huge challenge offering all customers so many different flavors, colors and smells at the same time, and they succeeded perfectly in doing so.

The menu offered Flautitas Doradas de Carne (Crispy mini-tacos filled with beef and green tomato sauce), Mousse de Jaiba en Salsa de Pipián Frío (Crab mousse with pumpking seed sauce), Sopa de Hongos con Tortilla (Mushroom and Tortilla Soup), Chile Ancho Relleno de Frijol en Miel de Canela servido con Tamal de Asado de Achiote y Ciruela (Sun dried chile with a black beans and goat cheese filling in cinnamon syrup served with Mexican Tamale of beef, prune and Achiote sauce stew) and the desert with Calabaza en Tacha (Baked pumpkin in Mexican brown sugar and orange syrup).

Death of Design

The products which were sent in all related to memories, smell, food and death. The mexican lady of Death (La Catrina) blended in with crafted products and design. A few examples are shown on this page. Alcides Fortes created a very special necklace of Daguerrotypes covered with a fine layer of ceramics, resulting in a 'ghosty' effect on the pictures of the people to be remembered. Mauricio Lara has created a very practical monument for his grandfather: Fernando Eguiluz Echeverría. The mini altar is lighted by a modern LED. Two other beautiful necklaces were sent in. One displayed the traditional papel picado in a silver variant, made by Valerio Prieto Luis Ernesto. It is a playful version of the coloured pieces of paper that hang all over Mexico during the day of the death. The other necklace shows a Calavera - a skull - which is another main symbol of the Dia de Muertos, showed in pictures and candy. The necklace is made from painted silk, glued on very light wood, connected with transparant wire which relates the skull with the bones. This colorful piece was made by Adriana Bautista from Oaxaca, Mexico.

Altar de Muertos

Of course an altar was erected that displayed ritual offers, design products and all kind of mexican candy, fruit and items. The altar is where the person who is being invoked
comes back from beyond, and visits for a brief moment our world. There are different objects that are important in the elaboration of these altars, and each of them have a significance and a purpose of why they are there. Pan de muertos (bread of the dead) and Cempazuchitl flowers tempted dead souls to come close, since smell is the only sense the dead have to find us.

Alejandra Yanez Zepeda and Viridiana Aguilar Vargas created such an altar representing the past, the present and the future, dividing the object in three parts, holding a candle, a vase and a Photo frame in which the deceased is honoured and made present in the celebration.