British Celebrity Chef, Heston Blumenthal, announced today that he will be teaming up with experiential studio Marshmallow Laser Feast to create a multi-sensory dining experience in virtual reality.
Here is why you should be very excited about this:
Blumenthal is a pioneer in sensory cooking and has been awarded honorary degrees for his scientific understanding of food.
He is also known for a cooking method he’s practiced for more than a decade called encapsulation, where he presents a small amount of flavor in a way that makes it taste much larger than it is.
A dish made by Heston Blumenthal at The Fat Duck restaurant in the UK. Oak Moss and Truffle Toast, Quail Jelly, Langoustine Cream & Foil Gras Parfait
Marshmallow Laser Feast (MLF) is a radical real-time animation studio known for doing everything from creating interactive forests with musical lasers…
…to using LIDAR technology to interpret the visual perspective of animals in a VR experience.
In the Eyes of the Animal VR experience by MLF
Put the two together and you get a very promising virtual food baby.
This new project will explore our sensory relationship with food and drink, combining neurology and synesthesia. Its purpose? “To tantalize the mouth and the mind.”
While we don’t know much about how it will work, we do know that the experience will juxtapose food science, props, puppeteers and physical tracking technologies with sound design. We also know that the image teaser they sent us features a block of cheese. A very good sign indeed.
About the project Blumenthal says, “My ethos is to question everything and this latest project truly pushes the boundaries of the possible and impossible. 2016 is the year VR will change the way in which we see the world and our place within it, so I’m very excited to be working with the leaders in this space. Together we will create an unparalleled experience in a parallel world. The experience will be at once satisfying, surprising and subversive – I can’t wait!”
Image Sources: MLF, Fine Dining Lovers and Creative Applications
