This talk compares the role of gastronomic inspiration in the evolution of two designers trained in engineering. We will briefly consider the works of 20th-century designer Raymond Loewy and contemporary designer Jerzsy Seymour, and the gastronomic references that allow them to reconsider the model of production-consumption, form-function and design metaphors. 

Lisa Banu teaches, among other courses, "Design History" and "Design in America" at Purdue's School of Visual and Performing Art. She is currently working on a manuscript entitled Raymond Loewy and the Bittersweet Taste of American Design. Her academic background includes a professional degree in Architecture and a Ph.D. in philosophy. The talk reflects her current research interest in the politics of design metaphors in Western and non-Western contexts.