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Survival in San Lorenzo
05-11-2007
Mount Everest, the Sahara Desert, Yosemite National Park and even south Detroit are all places that require some sort of survival kit to make it through. This May, the San Lorenzo Central Market will get added to that list.
When it was first built, the Central Market was an innovative building, one of the first markets to feature a roof. Now in a world filled with easily accessible supermarkets, the Market seems rooted in an obsolete system of shopping. The consistently bustling atmosphere and two floors stocked full of produce, meats, pastas and spices can make grocery shopping a strenuous activity.
A trio of products created by three different departments at Scuola Lorenzo de' Medici in Florence will be on display in the Market as a survival kit for a week in May. The survival kit will include: a special shopping cart constructed by the interior design department, a wearable tent created by the fashion design department; and a few custom designed pieces made by the jewelry design department.
The featured item of the survival kit is the cart, which was specifically designed to assist the elderly in their regular shopping trips to the Market. Not only will the cart allow shoppers to tote their purchases around the market, it will serve as a seat should they wish to take a break from the commotion. It is also designed to scale the stairs with its owner.
While the cart and the other items in the survival kit are prototypes that will not be sale, the success of the kit could lead to the local government adopting the models and eventually mass producing them. Regardless of the outcome, however, the true importance of the survival kit is the fact that foreign college students are contributing to their adopted community.
The Survival Kit will be on display for four days in the San Lorenzo Central Market beginning May 12.
Nicole Duncan,
LdM Writing Club
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