Designing Happiness You Can Taste
From personal craving to collective joy, turning a single slice into a lasting shared memory.
Concept
A multi-sensory installation that transforms a personal comfort food into a shared emotional experience.
Inspired by my lifelong love for strawberries — a symbol of family warmth, childhood sweetness, and my favorite dessert, strawberry shortcake — I set out to create an artwork that would embody happiness itself. After moving away from my home country, I longed for the distinct taste of the shortcakes I grew up with but could never find it. What began as a quest to recreate that memory led me to years of refining recipes, sourcing quality ingredients, and mastering the craft.
I photographed a single slice from my handmade cake and framed it as a photographic print. Below it, on a pedestal, I placed the remaining cake with that slice missing, creating a visual echo between the image and the object.
Visitors were invited to complete the work by sharing the cake together — realizing that what I offered was not just a slice of cake, but a piece of happiness. The piece evolved from a symbol of my own joy into a collective moment of happiness, illustrating how something deeply personal can resonate universally.
Role: Concept Development, Art Direction, Set Styling, Photography, Culinary Execution, Experience Design, Exhibition Design
