Difrasísmos
Emiliano Rosillo
Product Design
© 2026
© 2026
© 2026
Difrasismo: A rhetorical term that merges two concepts to create new meaning, exploring the tension between Mexican tradition and contemporary identity through a series of objects.
Difrasismo: A rhetorical term that merges two concepts to create new meaning, exploring the tension between Mexican tradition and contemporary identity through a series of objects.
Difrasismo: A rhetorical term that merges two concepts to create new meaning, exploring the tension between Mexican tradition and contemporary identity through a series of objects.
In Mexico, food is deeply intertwined with identity, not only through what we eat, but through the objects, rituals, and social practices that surround the table. Traditional food rituals coexist with increasingly industrialized and aspirational forms of consumption, creating tensions between heritage, representation, and contemporary identity.
The Insight: The table is more than a functional space for eating. It is a stage where cultural identities are constructed, negotiated, and transformed through objects, materials, and rituals.
Difrasísmos explores these tensions through three everyday tableware objects: a plate, salsero, and spoon, recovered from real street-food stalls. Rather than designing new objects, the project takes existing elements from this urban context and translates them into stone, shifting their material condition and perception.
Placed within an urban street-table setting, the three pieces create a dialogue between the everyday and the idealized, the functional and the contemplative, the vernacular and the refined. Their transformation questions how familiar objects and the relations around them can become representations of cultural identity beyond the idealized, consumable imagery, and how materiality can alter the way we perceive and value the rituals and environments that surround food.
PRACTICE - HEMISFERIO
DIFRASÍSMOS - CRITIC DESIGN
1 - 180 x 50 x 20 mm
2 - 200 x 200 x 15 mm
3 - 120 x 120 x 60 mm
MATERIAL - Hand carved marbles
YEAR - 2026
STATUS - Limited Production
PRACTICE - HEMISFERIO
DIFRASÍSMOS - CRITIC DESIGN
1 - 180 x 50 x 20 mm
2 - 200 x 200 x 15 mm
3 - 120 x 120 x 60 mm
MATERIAL - Hand carved marbles
YEAR - 2026
STATUS - Limited Production
PRACTICE - HEMISFERIO
DIFRASÍSMOS - CRITIC DESIGN
1 - 180 x 50 x 20 mm
2 - 200 x 200 x 15 mm
3 - 120 x 120 x 60 mm
MATERIAL - Hand carved marbles
YEAR - 2026
STATUS - Limited Production
In Mexico, food is deeply intertwined with identity, not only through what we eat, but through the objects, rituals, and social practices that surround the table. Traditional food rituals coexist with increasingly industrialized and aspirational forms of consumption, creating tensions between heritage, representation, and contemporary identity.
The Insight: The table is more than a functional space for eating. It is a stage where cultural identities are constructed, negotiated, and transformed through objects, materials, and rituals.
Difrasísmos explores these tensions through three everyday tableware objects: a plate, salsero, and spoon, recovered from real street-food stalls. Rather than designing new objects, the project takes existing elements from this urban context and translates them into stone, shifting their material condition and perception.
Placed within an urban street-table setting, the three pieces create a dialogue between the everyday and the idealized, the functional and the contemplative, the vernacular and the refined. Their transformation questions how familiar objects and the relations around them can become representations of cultural identity beyond the idealized, consumable imagery, and how materiality can alter the way we perceive and value the rituals and environments that surround food.
In Mexico, food is deeply intertwined with identity, not only through what we eat, but through the objects, rituals, and social practices that surround the table. Traditional food rituals coexist with increasingly industrialized and aspirational forms of consumption, creating tensions between heritage, representation, and contemporary identity.
The Insight: The table is more than a functional space for eating. It is a stage where cultural identities are constructed, negotiated, and transformed through objects, materials, and rituals.
Difrasísmos explores these tensions through three everyday tableware objects: a plate, salsero, and spoon, recovered from real street-food stalls. Rather than designing new objects, the project takes existing elements from this urban context and translates them into stone, shifting their material condition and perception.
Placed within an urban street-table setting, the three pieces create a dialogue between the everyday and the idealized, the functional and the contemplative, the vernacular and the refined. Their transformation questions how familiar objects and the relations around them can become representations of cultural identity beyond the idealized, consumable imagery, and how materiality can alter the way we perceive and value the rituals and environments that surround food.
The three mass produced objects were recovered from different street food stalls in Mexico City: a stainless steel spoon from a barbacoa stand, a plastic plate from a tacos de trompo stand, and a plastic salsero from another taquería. Each comes from a different context, yet together they form a new relationship through the table setting.
The three mass produced objects were recovered from different street food stalls in Mexico City: a stainless steel spoon from a barbacoa stand, a plastic plate from a tacos de trompo stand, and a plastic salsero from another taquería. Each comes from a different context, yet together they form a new relationship through the table setting.
The three mass produced objects were recovered from different street food stalls in Mexico City: a stainless steel spoon from a barbacoa stand, a plastic plate from a tacos de trompo stand, and a plastic salsero from another taquería. Each comes from a different context, yet together they form a new relationship through the table setting.
The traditional Mexican vinyl tablecloth incorporates graphics by a 19th-century artwork that sought to portray Mexican society of its time, bringing historical imagery into dialogue with contemporary street food culture. Its gradual desaturation becomes part of the visual language of the setting: the original objects remain in the saturated area, while their material reinterpretations move into an almost white field. This transition visually reinforces the relationship between the original and the transformed, bringing different references together to create a new meaning.
The traditional Mexican vinyl tablecloth incorporates graphics by a 19th-century artwork that sought to portray Mexican society of its time, bringing historical imagery into dialogue with contemporary street food culture. Its gradual desaturation becomes part of the visual language of the setting: the original objects remain in the saturated area, while their material reinterpretations move into an almost white field. This transition visually reinforces the relationship between the original and the transformed, bringing different references together to create a new meaning.
As a continuation of the staged installation, reflections from those who experienced it were collected using the visual format of food receipts as a medium. Each note captures what the pieces evoked, making these interpretations part of the work. In this way, the installation extends beyond the objects themselves, becoming a space for collective reflection.
As a continuation of the staged installation, reflections from those who experienced it were collected using the visual format of food receipts as a medium. Each note captures what the pieces evoked, making these interpretations part of the work. In this way, the installation extends beyond the objects themselves, becoming a space for collective reflection.
As a continuation of the staged installation, reflections from those who experienced it were collected using the visual format of food receipts as a medium. Each note captures what the pieces evoked, making these interpretations part of the work. In this way, the installation extends beyond the objects themselves, becoming a space for collective reflection.
