“
The enjoyment of eating
involves so much more than merely how the food on the plate tastes
* Charles Spence & Betina Piqueras Fiszman
The Perfect Meal
Project
Whispery Savoury
Conducted at London restaurants, Whispery Savoury was formulated as a series of experimental interactive dining events providing multi-sensory experiences.
The aim is to create sensory stimuli for several senses simultaneously, specifically taste and hearing, that are normally experienced separately, generating a kind of synaesthesia. The audience are invited to play sound and music whilst eating and drinking, using cutlery and specially designed tableware, with one piece for each taste: sweetness, sourness, bitterness, saltiness, and umami (pleasant savouriness).
To establish how food lovers gain the maximum pleasure from the experience of eating, the project seeks to provide evidence of shared underlying properties between the auditory and gustatory sensory modalities, and to explore, apart from food itself, the various factors influencing our cravings and appetite. In addition, by accentuating each of the five basic tastes, the aim is to help revive some semblance of taste for individuals who, for whatever reason, have lost their sense of it.
Moreover, by examining notions from the science of multi-sensory experience in relation to food and dining, this project addresses the role of art and science in contemporary gastronomic narratives.
“
Who is having all the fun?
Is it my brain or is it really me?
* Jeffrey Steingarten
“
Sound is the forgotten
flavour sense.
* Heston Blumenthal
The Tasty Album, Created by Jialin Deng & Harlin Sun, 2015
Crossmodal Correspondences Between Colours/shapes And Basic Tastes
The
Tasty Plateware
As our understanding of flavour has developed over the last decade both scientists and food practitioners have become increasingly aware of the importance that the senses have in our relationship with, and our understanding and appreciation of the foods we eat. In the past, flavour was all about taste and smell, we now know that among other elements; tactile sensations, visual presentation, the colours of foods, the shape of your plate, and the sounds that we perceive are all massively influential to how we perceive flavours and the judgments we make on foods.
Moving forward, we see some fascinating opportunities to develop neuroscience-inspired cutlery and plateware. The Tasty Plateware has been designed to be aesthetically pleasing, obviously, but also on what we know about how the mind works and connects the senses.
The design of Tasty Plateware takes our understanding of senses such as taste to a whole new level and is the way forward when it comes to enhancing the eating experience.
Play
with Food
