A deathly diet

For an exhibit on the future of food, Martí Guixé designed a diet to aid people to reach "a temporary transordinary lifestyle status". He tells us about it.

Inspired by science fiction novels from the 20th century, Martí Guixé's "Tonic Death Diet" (TDD) is designed to keep people in a vegetative state in the virtual world with pills and an autohypnosis app. 

What exactly is the autohypnosis app and how does it work?
It is an application for iPhone, iPad and Android that puts you in hypnosis, creating a partial coma effect (tonic death) in your body.

What are the nutrition pills – what are they made of and how do they work?
There are several: a group are mineral salt pills; one is with carbohydrates to dissolve in water and drink; another is to avoid teeth falling during long periods of diet; and the last ones are to make your gut work. These last pills are from latex and you recover them, clean them and take them again in periods of three days, more or less – all as shown in the instruction card.

What was the inspiration behind the project?
To avoid gastronomy.

"Tonic Death Diet" formed part of the interactive exhibition in the Future Foodhouse at the Rotterdam World Food Festival that asked the question: "What will we be eating in the future?" Based on the predication that the choices we make today about what we eat will determine what our food is going to be like in the future, participating Dutch and international designers and scientists were invited by the Dutch food designer, and curator of the event, Marije Vogelzang, to predict a number of "bizarre future scenarios" with regards to culinary trends and developments. The result was an Expo featuring the possibilities offered by 3D printing, food you can inhale but not eat (that gives you the taste sensation but none of the calories), Cohen van Balen’s fear-flavoured berries and Martí Guixé's TDD among them.

Watch Guixe at Design Indaba Conference here

Watch the Talk with Martí Guixé