Yildau ter Beek

Department: Food Non Food

Gift for/of Syria

Wheat – one of the most important staple foods in the world – has its origin in the Fertile Crescent, which includes present-day Syria. Today the word ‘Syria’ reminds us of a devastating war, and rarely of its rich culture. Their wheat is now arriving in bags of humanitarian aid organizations, often with the text ‘Gift of’, followed by the name of the donating country. It emphasises the gap between ‘us’ and ‘them’. To remind us of the origins of our daily bread and to bridge the gap, Yildau ter Beek has redesigned the wheat bag, inspired by Syrian textiles. When the wheat is finished, it can be re-used as fabric for clothes and coverings.