We were literally salivating when we heard about this latest multisensory exhibition, the aim of which is to learn how to listen to your senses, exploring the concept of food through sight, smell, taste, touch, and sound.
Banquet is Universcience’s latest exhibition presented at The Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie in Paris, France and invites visitors to a grand banquet, blending together science and gastronomy and has been developed by Raphaël Haumont, a physicist and chemist, Claire Sulmont-Rossé, a National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment research director at the Centre for Taste and Food Sciences, and Nicolas Bricas, nutritional socio-economist, researcher at CIRAD – Montpellier, UMR MoISA and chair of the Unesco World Food Systems, together with the participation of celebrity chef Thierry Marx, one of the most famous chefs of his generation.
Staged in three parts, the immersive journey starts in the kitchen, where, with the help of some clever technology using audio-visual and multimedia content, visitors can brush up on their kitchen skills and techniques. Hidden sensors in bowls and underneath the table will detect your movement and then reconstruct it on the screen in augmented reality. They give an example of your whisk moving and cream virtually rising! Creativity is also encouraged, and visitors can choose a colour theme for their plate, together with a starter, main and dessert dish. Recipe ideas are built by AI algorithms as images that visitors can transform to create their own unique dining experience.
At the amuse-bouche section, visitors get to enjoy a fascinating multisensory experience with a focus on the senses where you can discover more about how your senses work when you eat.
The third part is the banquet itself. Thierry Marx and Raphaël Haumont created this unique menu. Up to 30 people at a time can book on to this experience, the result being to transport you through this imaginary menu triggering memories and emotions.
The banquet ends with a bang – quite literally, with fireworks!
We love this idea of connecting family and friends with the use of very clever technology and we’re all for making moments that last.
Banquet runs at Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie until 7 August 2022 and after that they plan to tour the exhibition to other science centres and museums. We can’t wait to get stuck in to this dining delight!
The exhibition’s curator, Vincent Blech, says, “This exhibition is better visited on an empty stomach!”
For more information, take a look here:
