Becoming Diaspora in the Toko

More than a grocery store: a lecture exploring the toko as a space of living heritage and identity. Includes 2 small snacks! What happens when a taste travels? A toko is more than a place where food from elsewhere is sold. It is a space where memories, tastes and identities are negotiated — and where diaspora is continuously made. Through a talk of the toko shelf, this lecture looks at how food and packaging transform as they move between the country of origin and the country of settlement. What makes a product look and taste “authentic”? And how do local regulations, market demands, consumer expectations and ideas of the exotic reshape it? From tropical imagery and colonial visual references to colours, typography, product names and familiar flavours, packaging does more than sell a product. It constructs ideas of place, culture and identity — deciding what is made visible, recognisable and desirable. Behind these visual languages are multiple actors: manufacturers, shop owners, marketers, consumers and the communities themselves. Their choices intersect to produce something that belongs neither entirely to the place of origin nor the place of settlement. Between authenticity and adaptation, memory and market, a new taste and visual identity emerges. The toko is not simply where diaspora culture is preserved. It is where diaspora is packaged, negotiated and made. 🫔 Two time slots: • 1st lecture: 17h30-19h15 • 2nd lecture: 20h0-22h15 • Two small snacks are included in the session, made with the toko ingredients. • Please note that if the minimum of 4 attendees is not reached, the lecture will be canceled and fully refunded. This project has been selected and funded by Talent Development Program by Stimulating Fund. About the host: Shin-Hua Yang is a social designer and artist based between the Netherlands and Taiwan. Her practice explores the politics of identity, migration and cultural representation through food, textiles and visual culture.