2017 | 2020
ludo & hedo
ice cream shop
van hallstraat 222 amsterdam
ice cream | public space | intervention | guerrilla
since the beginning of my practice i was strongly embedded into the art context. my professional path since graduating from an art academy was quite consistent and governed by the rules of the art world. however, after several years i felt that the pre-conditioned structure has begun to absorb me and i am losing my connection with the beholder. most importantly, the process of creation didn't offer me any desirable satisfaction. something was truly missing and this something was masked by the institutional framework that made me idle and fatigued as i fell deeper into my comfort zone.
as a response to that feeling i decided to turn everything around and seek challenge and contact with the audience, hoping to gain back the trust in my practice. i started to look for a new medium which would allow me to recreate a bond with people and to make sure i can share my fascinations and ideas more directly. and what is more direct than food i decided to open ludo and hedo, an unusual ice cream shop in the west of amsterdam. functioning as an ice cream shop, ludo & hedo became a social intervention where i created an opportunity for people to question the status quo and undergo an experiment with their perception through the playful medium of ice cream.
i created about 180 unique flavours ranging from clay, tobacco, blood and fish to herbal infusions and fruits. always looking for the unexpected in flavours, i learned about the molecular structure of ingredients and translated the knowledge into ice cream to be enjoyed by everybody without exception. i was also developing flavours for various cultural institutions and companies using the medium of ice cream as a form of artistic expression.
the impermanence of ice cream allowed me to create something that talks about the transience of time and being in the moment. ice cream is a rather unconventional way to create meaning and i believe that is why it was successful, it entered the pure part of the human psyche, without the presence of ego, without fulfilling expectations and free from social control pressure. challenging the status quo through ice cream introduced lightness and fearlessness which allowed for personal growth and development.
visit ludo & hedo website to explore full collection of flavours and get a better idea about visual and communicative aspect of the project
(click on the logo to dive in)
a short video kindly made by food inspiration magazine which gives an impression about how the shop looked like in real life and touches upon the ideas behind the project.