Interviews with Nalisha Chouraria

Kids can be suspicious of new foods & often categorize them as 'yuck' even before trying. As a result, many foods remain unexplored and mealtimes can turn unpleasant or foster negative relationships with food. Kids use curiosity & play to explore the world so why not use it to explore the food world? By bringing play to the table, I wanted to inspire curiosity, reinvent how families eat & encourages playful exploration beyond the game.

By bringing the endless benefits of play to the table, I wanted to inspire children and the inner child in every adult to be brave and inquisitvie to possibly be rewarded with a surprising discovery.

To make it accessible to as many schools and families as possible.

Five years. The project started in 2015 in Gothenburg, Sweden and finished in 2020 in Gold Coast, Australia.

Curious Gastronaut is a culmination of my passion for food and play & my specialisation in Children's Design. It started out as a thesis project in design school and turned into a passion project.

Using the power of play, I wanted to create excitement around food, encourage children and adults alike to step out of their comfort zone, and inspire them to be explorers of the world. I wanted to create a tool that children could use to create something of their own and be proud of.

The recommended age is 5 years and above. However, it is for all children and the inner child in all of us. It has been thoughtfully designed to maintain open-endedness and inclusivity.

Firstly, it encourages players to reimagine food & experiment from ground up rather than from existing recipes. Secondly, it's open-endedness allows for multi use, endless interpretations & high playability. Thirdly, it was designed to encourage play and exploration in everyday life, even beyond the game. Rather than creating something with the purpose of selling or to keep children occupied, it was important for me to create something with a high play value.

I liked the idea of exploring the gastronomical world like an astronaut explores space - with curiosity, excitement and an open mind. Hence, the name Curious Gastronaut.

Adobe Illustrator, Indesign & low-tech prototyping

It infuses play with dining in a natural way without becoming a distraction. The prompts on the cards are whimsical & humorous, the visuals - gender neutral & simplistic but not childish, with the intention to stimulate the imagination and trigger joy & curiosity. It's open-endedness allows for multi use, endless interpretations & high playability.

Although the project was solely designed by me, I met several play designers, pedagogists, educators, psychologists, parents and children, throughout the duration of the project without whom the project would not have been possible.

I used exploratory research. My methodologies included surveys & secondary source research. Data collected informed research tools, namely participatory experiments (observed workshops & self-reported trials).

The project was solely designed by me. However, it required all-round skills in design, illustration, writing and knowledge in play, child culture, food education, etc which I was able to build & improve through research & playtesting. Inspiring ongoing exploration while also motivating busy adults to play were additional challenges, which I overcame by introducing features like unlocking and journey maps, and by simplifying the gameplay into short, simple sessions. It took several iterations to make sure the players go from picking up the game to playing as soon as possible. Eco-friendly printing & manufacturing are goals I am currently working towards.

I was very passionate about the idea and saw how greatly it impacted so many families. Through the competition, I was hoping to achieve visibility so many more can benefit from it.

https://curiousgastronaut.com/

Ever since I can remember, I've loved drawing and making things. I knew pretty early on that I wanted to pursue design. I studied visual communication design at Srishti School of Design in Bangalore, India. Soon after I joined, a lab called Interactive Toy Design was introduced. YAY! It was supposed to be a side project but I loved it so much that by the time I finished design school, I had spent more time as a toy designer than as a graphic designer. I enjoyed making objects which led me to pursue a Masters in Designed Objects at School of the Art Institute of Chicago in the United States. When I realised I was directing all my briefs towards play and children, I decided to pursue another Masters in Child Culture Design at HDK in Gothenburg, Sweden. Professionally, I've had the opportunity to work with some of the best agencies and design studios around the world. I'm grateful for having had the privilege to go wherever my curiosity led me.

Studio Oddball is a one woman creative practise specialising in play and design for children based on the Gold Coast, Australia. I create unorthodox tools and experiences to stimulate and empower children, and encourage them to step out of their comfort zone through play. Studio Oddball is my playground!

My work includes but is not limited to illustration, play design, graphic design, digital and physical toys & games design.

Characters for an online game.

I let the project define the medium. It could be anything from digital illustrations to working with materials like wood, hair, tea bags or taxidermy. Whatever the medium, I try to insert the odd and unexpected.

I'm a morning person.

Research. I'm a very curious person and love learning. I also spend a lot of time making and refining because I enjoy it but more importantly because I was born with the curse of perfectionism.

Playful and often uncomfortable.

It's always exciting to see a design go from a sketch to a finished product. I feel proud.

It should embody and inspire creativity, playfulness, empathy, goodness and guts.

Does it challenge perceptions? Does it stimulate the imagination? Does it inspire playfulness?

Be a good human being, designer or not.

I'm interested in what children do when no one's watching. I stay inspired by constantly learning and taking in as many new experiences as possible, outside of design.

During my early education, all my designs were termed as ‘cute’. This led me to question the very attribute and break out of it through experimentation with the unconventional. A recurring theme in her work is the uncanny. My work is a push and pull between the cute and not cute.

Although I currently live on the Gold Coast, Australia, I've grown up in India and lived in the United States, Sweden, Italy, and the Netherlands. I've travelled a fair bit and have had unique life experiences, including being a Bollywood child actor and marrying a tree. All my experiences influence me in some way or the other, irrespective of where I live.

1. Work with people that share the same core values as you but constantly challenge you.

2. Trust them.

3. Pay them.

Don't be afraid to step outside of your comfort zone. Try to take in as many new experiences as possible, outside of design. Don't be a dick.

It's better to be odd than boring.

Curiosity, empathy, playfulness and guts

I repeatedly tell myself "It doesn't need to be perfect, it needs to be tomorrow!"

You're a children's designer, why don't you have children?

After working at an ad agency, I was sure I never wanted to go back to doing advertising. It is not only important to figure out what you like to do but also what you don't like to do.

The ones that give me full freedom within tight parameters and the ones where I learn something new.

Website: https://curiousgastronaut.com/

Instagram: @curiousgastronaut

Email: nalisha@curiousgastronaut.com