In Conversation: Imogen Kwok and Charlene Prempeh

Imogen Kwok works at the intersection of cuisine, art, and design. Her work recontextualises the act of dining and compels us to see, feel, and taste anew. Shaped equally by instinct and Michelin training, Imogen’s cooking falls between craft and material thinking. She treats food with a rigour typically reserved for metal, glass, or fabric, while embracing the fact that it will evolve and that this change is out of her control—that everything she makes will eventually melt, bruise, oxidise, or, of course, be eaten. Born in Sydney, and currently based in London, Imogen works internationally. Her multidisciplinary approach to culinary practice has led to collaborations across the fashion and fine art industries, where she continues to re-define the boundaries of edible experience. Collaborations include Prada, Hermès, Chanel, Miu Miu, De Beers, Ruinart x Rosewood, LOEWE, LOEWE Perfumes, Matter and Shape, Phillips Auction, Nicoletta Fiorucci Foundation, Bvlgari, Georg Jensen, Arc’teryx and more.

Charlene Prempeh is the founder of A Vibe Called Tech, a Black-owned creative agency that is dedicated to approaching creativity through an intersectional lens. Charlene is also a Financial Times HTSI columnist and contributing editor who writes about design, travel, and culture. After studying PPE at Oxford University, she began a career in marketing and worked at some of the UK’s most prominent media platforms and art institutions including the BBC, The Guardian, and Frieze. More recently, she launched A Vibe Called Tech to encourage a culturally diverse lens in design, technology, arts, and culture by spearheading partnerships, events, research, and workshops across London and through her journalism and consultancy work. Charlene’s debut book, Now You See Me: 100 Years of Black Design, was published in October 2023.

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