and science to illuminate the botanic identity and wonder of flowers in an exciting new way the Bioluminescent Flower Parlour will illuminate messages within flowers that are usually hidden to the human eye to showcase how we can harmoniously blend with nature The rare beauty of flowers will be revealed under UV light illuminating hidden conversations within nature and immersing guests in a sensory journey that radiates joy and positive energy Further exploring the many details of the natural world visitors will also discover an installation of vibrant photographic artwork from Maggie West’s ‘Ultraviolet’ series In this acclaimed series the artist uses ultraviolet light and fluorescent ink to illuminate the process in which plants absorb water West photographed white flowers absorbing fluorescent ink under black lights with her unique time lapse photography process revealing the hidden pathways that flowers use to sustain life The Bioluminescent Flower Parlour will be the first of its kind anywhere in the world The innovative floral displays are created using a special serum developed by Aglaé injecting life and light into a variety of fresh blooms The bioluminescent effect is further enhanced by UV lighting turning each flower into a radiant piece of living art Guests will be able to browse and purchase glowing roses which will turn the simple act of flower-giving into something magical A Celebration of Nature and Mental Well-being  Launching in Canary Wharf as part of the unveiling of Eden Dock a waterfront oasis created in partnership with the Eden Project the Bioluminescent Flower Parlour acts to bring the wonder of nature inside Canary Wharf is creating a place for both nature and people to thrive where biodiversity is boosted and mental well-being is enhanced through exposure to nature The Gaia hypothesis proposes that living organisms interact with their inorganic surroundings on Earth to form a synergistic and self-regulating complex system that helps to maintain and perpetuate the conditions for life on the planet acting in harmony with one another – we just can’t always see what is going on What we do know is that plants can send messages to one another by releasing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the air – flowers effectively talk to one another Concealed communication is happening all around us Thanks to the technology of a nutritive serum developed by Aglaé at the Bioluminescent Flower Parlour nectar guides the fine lines within flower petals and venation giving visitors a glimpse into the hidden world of flowers The bioluminescent blooms draw parallels with the neural pathways and connections in the human mind acting like a visual demonstration of the Gaia Theory – we are all as one and can work symbiotically towards a better future The Bioluminescent Flower Parlour will be a powerful reminder of our connection to nature offering an immediate escape from the mundane and instilling a sense of calm and tranquillity chrysanthemums and carnations will feature and also be available for purchase Chrysanthemums symbolise well-being and longevity bursting with life and the ability to bring joy to others Carnations prized for their delicate fringed petals and enchanting fragrance visitors can catch glimpses of this botanical visual feast through Maggie West’s kaleidoscopic artwork This perspective offers a departure from everyday life an escape from the chaotic vibrancy of the world outside the shopping centre transformative quality of the natural forms will guide visitors toward peace “We’ve always believed in creating experiences that stimulate the mind as well as the senses The Bioluminescent Flower Parlour takes this to a new level by combining the beauty of nature with cutting-edge science all while promoting the mental health benefits that flowers can offer.”  I’ve always been fascinated by the unseen beauty and interconnectedness within nature The Bioluminescent Flower Parlour allows people to experience that hidden world in a truly magical way and I’m thrilled that my work can be part of a project that highlights the mental health benefits of nature Through the calming glow of the flowers and the immersive experience we’ve created I hope to remind visitors of the powerful sense of peace and connection that nature can bring to our busy lives.”  The Bioluminescent Flower Parlour will be open on select dates this October offering visitors a rare opportunity to see and purchase glowing flowers unlike anything else in the world Limited edition floral arrangements and bespoke bouquets will be available with special orders accepted both in-store and online The Flower Parlour will be open from 10am to 2pm on the following dates:  Bompas & Parr is recognised as the leading expert in multi-sensory experience design private clients and governments to deliver emotionally compelling experiences to a wide variety of audiences Sam Bompas and Harry Parr first came to prominence through their expertise in jelly-making but the business rapidly grew into a fully-fledged creative studio offering food and drink design brand consultancy and immersive experiences across a diverse number of industries The studio is based in London but in the past year has realised projects on practically every continent The Bioluminescent Flower Parlour represents the latest innovation in their long-standing mission to bring joy and wonder through creative design Maggie West is a Los Angeles-based artist known for her colorful photo and video art installations Her video work continues to push the boundaries of traditional time-lapse photography Maggie was commissioned to create Coachella’s first photography exhibit West’s piece was one of the world’s largest three-dimensional photography installations to date further showcasing her innovative approach to photographic exhibitions West has contributed many large-scale architectural installations to the Los Angeles landscape she was commissioned to create the central artwork in the new Netflix campus located in the center of Hollywood Her other commercial clients include Google West has also created a number of artworks and installations for notable institutions such as the California Academy of Sciences Her work has been featured in magazines such as Variety Canary Wharf Group (CWG) is the developer of the largest urban regeneration project in Europe manages and currently owns interests in approximately 9 million square feet of mixed-use space and over 1,100 Build to Rent apartments CWG is committed to turning sustainability ambition into impactful action Examples include purchasing 100% electricity from renewable sources since 2012 our partnership with the Eden Project creating a place for nature and people and working to deliver our Science-Based Target CWG has created a 24/7 city where people can live work and thrive on the Canary Wharf estate and enjoy all the benefits: great transport links access to 16.5 acres of green spaces and waterside living; and a wide range of amenities including an award-winning arts and events programme Canary Wharf’s retail offering comprises over 80 bars pharmacies and health clubs all within 15 minutes’ walk Website: www.canarywharf.com  www.group.canarywharf.com   This cookie is installed by Google Analytics 4 to restrain request rate and thus limit the collection of data on high traffic sites This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Crafted in collaboration with Quadrant Arcade fragrance maker Aromaria this pop-up experience has been designed to reawaken your senses on a journey through Regent Street’s iconic history Your journey will begin in the interactive museum Here you’ll be inundated with beautiful smells from the scented Aromaria mist as you enter to the smellable timeline that you’ll explore in the sensory jellyscape where you’ll find a curated display of Benham & Froud archival jelly moulds the copper and metalwork company that created the iconic orb and cross currently atop St Paul’s Cathedral You can even take home some of these charming creations In the Jelladrome you’ll find an array of edible Regent Street architecture in miniature jelly form Those who feel up for a challenge can take part in the Sensory Quest for the chance to take home jelly for free If you loved this multi-sensory pop-up adventure and would like to learn more fascinating stories of Regent Street you can book a number of bespoke workshops and events Bompas & Parr has announced the world’s first ‘flavour rainbow’ at the Royal Docks in east London Bompas & Parr has unveiled the world’s first ‘flavour rainbow’ at the Royal Docks in east London Royal Docks Rainbows features the world’s first flavour rainbow beneath Silvertown Way as well as a rainbow installation above Royal Victoria Dock The flavour rainbow was created by Bompas & Parr using bespoke light refracted through multicoloured moisture It will be framed by a larger rainbow above the Royal Docks that captures natural sunlight The flavours within the rainbow’s moisture were co-curated by RDLAC Royal Wharf and Britannia Village Primary Schools “Flavour and meteorology have always inspired us; to see them collide so spectacularly is a dream of mystical proportions come to true,” said Harry Parr “We can’t wait to hear what you would like the rainbow to taste like.” The flavour rainbow beneath Silvertown Way will be free but ticketed The Royal Victoria Dock installation will be free to view twice daily “With the Royal Docks once London’s gateway to world trade the celebration of rainbows that have a flavour has important local resonance,” said Sam Bompas new tastes and scents coming into London from across the world passed through this area in terms of import “The Royal Docks is the obvious place to showcase the world’s first flavour rainbow as we share its history and celebrate its vibrant future as the new cultural engine of London.” Royal Docks Rainbows runs from October 15 through October 31 “It’s a joy to be able to create a sense of wonder particularly within the grandeur of Europe’s very first flyover,” Bompas added Elsewhere, Bompas & Parr is launching a multi-sensory food experience called ‘The Future of Food: Epochal Banquet’ at Expo 2020 Dubai, which is kicking off today (September 30) Images: Bompas & Parr Get the latest attractions industry
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Besides “bringing jelly out of the dark ages” with flavors like Bramble Whiskey Sour and Kalamansi Riband and glow-in-the-dark jelly installations set across London the duo—who call themselves “culinographers” (that’s culinary + pornography) and come across as a two-part composite of Willy Wonka and Jamie Oliver at his wired best—do immersive multisensory experiences that are mash-ups of food history and the kind of science lab experiments we dreamed up in middle school: breathable cocktail vapors; gherkin-powered watts of energy; and their latest “Anti-AGin,” a collagen-infused gin they claim drives wrinkles away with each sip “Make mine a Skin and Tonic,” Parr joked about the gin which was a collaboration with the U.K.-based Warner Leisure hotel chain the partners amped up the jokey defense in post-release promotion of this particular product they get written about that it’s actually going to change your life which is not a statement we’ve made,” Bompas says pointing this writer to what he calls “our very “Realistically it’s a sort of tongue-in-cheek nod to the pleasures of laugh lines.” (The alcoholic drink also uses aromas of chamomile and tea tree and goth kola ingredients said to promote youthfulness Let’s say it will definitely make you feel younger.” as one minute Bompas tells me about their hero very serious British food historian Ivan Day and the importance of establishing a food museum for mankind describing an “epic” jelly fight that followed one of their installations “I think that and roasting are the two things we are better at than the French,” Bompas says The multisensory fun continued with a “an epic soundtrack broadcasting the sound of jelly wobbling,” an installation conceived with the help of an inner-ear scientist From behind his desk piled with books dedicated to historic pleasure grounds of London he talks about the British Museum of Food—their company’s ongoing projet du coeur Perhaps feeling competitive pressure from Brooklyn’s new Museum of Food and Drink “It's crucial we have a British food museum brilliant that we’ve now got a Design Museum But how many people think of design relative to people who think of food everyday realistically what percentage of people really care about contemporary art relative to caring about food?” While they work to establish a permanent home for the BMoF B&P do collaborations with established institutions like the Victoria and Albert Museum as well as temporary installations roving nomadic museum at the moment," he says The latest iteration took place at the Borough Market this winter It included exhibits like “Be the Bolus,” whereby visitors could experience what it feels like to be a hunk of chewed-off food going along the human digestive track The cross-modal experience was obtained with a PillCam and a massage chair that pummeled you up and down as watched the film so you could feel what it's like for the bolus There was also the butterfly gallery that highlighted the fact that butterflies are “some of the unsung heroes of pollination.” The takeaway “We are trying to think about how to make sustainability really sexy making people ask questions rather than belaboring them with gloom and doom about the current state of the planet and food security.” For right now, though, there’s Bompas & Parr's Alcoholic Architecture bar Drinks are breathable cocktails and last season they were infused clouds of Gin and Tonic “they are moving into the realm of summer with clouds of Piña Colada you become more inebriated through your glands As the bar was on the site of an ancient monastery “[its] styling is monastic meets Miami design,” he says “Imagine a bunch of party monks going to the EDM festival in Miami.” The duo also decided to embrace the history of monastic brewing and distilling so all spirits are made by monks—like Bénédictine “Imagine a normal Negroni that’s just gone nuclear The acorn lends a lingering finish that goes on and on and on,” says Bompas Working with food scientists and pyro technicians they set fireworks to flavor “so as you saw red fireworks you’d taste strawberries [via a strawberry cloud] floating oranges [thousands of enormous bubbles filled with Seville orange flavored smoke] “It was basically through a whole fruit salad,” Bompas explains At the time Parr said: “Our ambition is simple: The greatest number of people in human history having a simultaneous multisensory experience.” So there’s the answer to what they do: aim to change our conceptions of food Poppers (scientifically known as "alkyl nitrites") are strange yet iconic products "They are one of the few products that are legal to sell entirely mislabelled – as "leather cleaner" and "room odouriser" – a far cry from their widespread and tacitly acknowledged use as a gateway to pleasure." A couple of months ago, the company created the world’s first "super premium poppers" they cost £100 a bottle) as part of an activation during London Cocktail Week, with all profits from sales donated to Tom of Finland Foundation. Branded "Excalibur XO", the poppers were being paired with cocktails at Sweeties bar at the Standard hotel in London as a "tongue-in-cheek exploration of how the drinks industry has evolved". Bompas and Parr says it was "a parody delving into the shift from alco-pops injected with sugar and food colourants, to sustainably crafted artisanal spirits, all in the space of a decade". Adding: "Crafted from a mélange of medieval botanicals and inspired by the fast tempo, HiNRG genre of music that characterised the heyday of poppers, the Excalibur XO cocktails invigorate and tantalise. "By experiencing a cocktail-adjacent nightlife accessory, poppers, this never-before-seen serve tells the narrative of queer culture through a selection of experts, partners and collaborators operating in the field of LGBTQIA+ studies." The brand and product name – Excalibur – references the title of the booklet "Raging Sword" by Karl Heinrich Ulrichs published in 1868, an account of his speech to the Congress of German Jurists considered by many to be the first ever gay rights protest speech. Bompas and Parr explains that their "Excalibur XO" poppers concept sits at the occlusion of a number of important social and experiential drivers… Notifications can be managed in browser preferences. Bompas (left in picture) is co-founder of Bompas & Parr whose outlandish jelly creations – including a banquet filled with jelly skyscrapers – have reawakened interest in the possibilities of jelly We were both put in the same orchestra at Eton when we were 13 It wasn't a terribly good one; he played the cello I remember five years later when Harry gave a talk at a school assembly in front of 500 people it's a tedious experience but he stood up and was very rude and funny about the new Tate Modern at a time when it was considered to be racy I thought it was rather brave going against the grain and it made a deep impression We stayed in touch after we left school – and through university where Harry studied architecture – and in his final year we decided to start a business together Harry would often have these dinner parties and at one he made all these elaborate curries But it was the dessert that wowed everyone: a simple that was what we put our finger on – jelly was the future and what we were going to make our fortune on Our best ideas come out of Harry and I having a massive argument I hate what Harry comes out with and he thinks half of what I say is rubbish but what we get at the end is better then anything either of us could come up with on our own: getting all the world's top architects to make jellies or making a gin-and-tonic cloud that people could walk inside of and became intoxicated I'm more narrative based; for me it's about the stories we tell "Will people be excited by what we create?" While Harry looks at the process we flooded the roof of Selfridges to make a rooftop bar with a lake I was coming out with the reasoning why people were going to visit while Harry was working with three separate engineers to make sure we didn't destroy Selfridges there's no separation between life and work – it's a glorified hobby that's reached all-consuming proportions with our girlfriends and all our friends sucked in my parents booked me a table at [Heston Blumenthal's restaurant] The Fat Duck but the difficulty was to decide who to go with but in the end I took my girlfriend on the basis that my life would be a lot easier It was the 1990s so we were both into drum and bass and during school holidays we started going out to clubs in London; we had a lot of fun After university we ended up living not far from one another in London We started the jelly company for a bit of fun We both felt there was something magical about jelly and we thought it might help us get a stall at Borough Market – which we were wrong about But we were right that there was something special about jelly Working together and having a shared company really threw us together Putting the skills I'd learnt from my architecture course to bizarre use I worked out how to make jelly moulds by rapid prototyping [designing and constructing 3D objects] the shapes to create the jelly moulds The big game-changing event was our jelly banquet Sam spent weeks trying to persuade architects such as Richard Rogers and Lord [Norman] Foster to design moulds based on their buildings but Sam managed to get very credible people involved and it all came through He talks a lot; you know when he's in the room as he's incredibly energetic and enthusiastic Sam's more of a fantasist while I'm more into how to build something to achieve an idea we've done: such as the alcoholic cloud of gin and tonic until I found a doctor who deals in extreme environments and we worked out how to use humidifiers Sam's always thinking ahead on to the next project while I'm more interested in what's going on now But while we both go about work in different ways A few years ago we wrote down on a scrap of paper what our ultimate goals were and we both wrote the same thing: "Global food domination" For more on Bompas & Parr, see jellymongers.co.uk Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information, people and ideas, Bloomberg quickly and accurately delivers business and financial information, news and insight around the world 2015 at 1:16 PM EDTBookmarkSaveLock This article is for subscribers only.Cocktail fans in London will want to take deep breaths when they enter a pop-up bar that opens on Thursday on the site of an ancient monastery in Borough Alcoholic Architecture features a walk-in cloud of cocktail that's composed of fine spirits and mixer at a ratio of 1:3 It's made using powerful humidifiers to super-saturate the air Alcohol enters the bloodstream mainly through the lungs but also the eyeballs Guests are advised to "breathe responsibly." Seok-Woo Song — Photos exploring the pressures and loneliness of life in Korea Federico Borella & Michela Balboni — Photographing rural Italy’s “tree men” AikBeng Chia — Recreating vivid scenes from 1970s Singapore with the help of AI WePresent is the arts platform of WeTransfer.The simplest way to send big files A platform to empower creatives while using business as a force for good By venturing inside embassies and restaurants and consulting with serving diplomats they lift the veil (or the tablecloth) on the toasts roasts and what really goes on in the dining rooms of power Photos by Charlie Surbey The power behind the plate and the underlying psychology of shared dining has been shown again and again to be an art form of the most exquisite nature the dining table has been recognized as a unique forum where negotiations can be fought differences settled and relationships sealed Diplomatic dining has been deployed as a political tool before during and after many of the major upheavals wars and ideological disputes of the 19th and 20th centuries Even today it continues to be a useful diplomatic mechanic between nations in the interests of maintaining cordial and constructive working relationships – although it would be facile to suggest it could be a panacea for the scale of some of the problems the world is facing right now Stuan Stevenson’s wonderfully titled “The Course of History - Ten Meals That Changed The World'' gives intricate detail and insight into the big plans minutiae and political context of meals that shaped history few can rival the spectacular largesse of the masked ball and feast hosted by the Emperor and Empress of Austria in October 1814 as part of the Congress of Vienna Some 10,000 guests—the cream of European society—attended the Hofburg imperial palace to dine on a lavish meal conceived by the celebrated chef Marie-Antoine Carême The guest list included two emperors and empresses two grand duchesses and countless princes and princesses Collectively they represented allies and former foes who were now meeting as victors of Napoleon to agree a new vision for Europe Over dishes made from Carême’s mighty shopping list—which boasted no less than 300 hams 3,000 liters of soup and a veritable fountain of wine—the guests were beginning the process of dividing up the continent and restoring the balance of power to forge lasting peace It is perhaps ironic that Napoleon had been acutely aware of the diplomatic power of dining himself he had purchased the magnificent Château de Valençay where he installed his chief diplomat Tallyrand with the specific intention of using the location to forge alliances using the culinary skills of the very same chef If the 1814 feast was an uncharacteristically large gathering it nonetheless effectively illustrates that collectively consuming food bestows extra significance on events particularly at moments of great historical importance It therefore may come as little surprise that it was over an extravagant dinner in June 1790 that Founding Fathers of the United States Alexander Hamilton James Madison and Thomas Jefferson ended a deadlock over where the new capital of the United States should be located and consuming courses of capon stuffed with Virginia ham the three men decided how the Revolutionary War debt should be apportioned across the states and putting aside ideological and personal differences agreed to locate the capital on the banks of the Potomac—an agreement fueled by each course being paired with fine wines What becomes clearer is that the combination of dinner and diplomatic intent appears to impose layers of formality civility and sophistication to proceedings of all sizes Sociological studies have shown that sharing a meal is a powerful motivator: not only does it enhance our receptiveness to whatever is discussed but it also triggers a desire to “repay” the provider but how the hormones and emotions unleashed by consuming it in a shared forum can influence the way we think and respond Be it state banquet or low-key embassy supper dining together tends to demand voices be lowered and swords left at the door The 19th-century British statesman and prime minister Viscount Palmerston referred to dining as the “soul of diplomacy.” It was Winston Churchill who ultimately coined it “dinner diplomacy.” Adolf Hitler used a veil of civility presented by dining to force the hand of his guest during a dinner at the Berghof in the Bavarian Alps in February 1938 set with fine linens and Swastika-clad crockery became a bullying pulpit from which Hitler outlined his ambitions for Austria presenting a list of non-negotiable demands for how the country should concede independence von Schuschnigg had little choice but to agree to the complete integration of Austria into the German state the concept of diplomatic dining remains strong recognized as a state instrument of what has become known as “soft power” Popularized in 1990 by American political scientist Joseph Nye it refers to the ability to co-opt rather than coerce The chefs charged with preparing special state culinary moments certainly recognize it as such its membership comprising personal chefs of heads of state meeting under the motto: “If politics divides people a good table always gathers them.” Still in existence today executive chef at the White House; Ulrich Kerz chef to the Chancellor of Germany; Guillaume Gomez head chef at France’s Elysée Palace; and Mark Flanagan Queen of The United Kingdom and Head of the Commonwealth speaking in 2012 as Secretary of State (the United States’ top diplomat) summed up the modern viewpoint: “Sharing a meal can help people transcend boundaries and build bridges in a way that nothing else can some of the most meaningful conversations I've had with my counterparts all over the world have taken place over breakfasts Moments of great political symbolism are often driven by great diplomatic dinners President Barack Obama served British Prime Minister David Cameron a main course of Bison Wellington giving an American twist to a classic British dish representing “a great marriage of the two countries.” everything from the shape of the table to the ingredients and the provenance of each dish took on special significance The choice of minced croaker and sea cucumber as a dumpling filling referenced the hometown of South Korean President Kim Dae-Jung; while rösti referenced where North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was schooled decorated symbolically with a map of a unified Korea was encased in a hard chocolate shell which the leaders had to smash through—jointly holding a large hammer—referencing the warmth of their relationship breaking through During a visit to Japan by then US President George H he made history by vomiting on the prime minister of Japan is thought to have set US-Japanese relations back several years and made Bush a target for disdain in Japan Modern-day diplomatic dining: the working lunch The reality of diplomatic dining today is that the working lunch conducted at embassies and missions globally on practically a daily basis See our accompanying features and photostories “During the conduct of diplomacy people have to eat The question is how to do so in a way that supports the objectives of the event,” says Paul Brummell a serving UK ambassador and former head of soft power at the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office in London Even apparently informal meals are stringently planned: who are the guests what dietary and religious issues need to be considered and how can the best response be elicited from guests it has advantages and disadvantages for doing business You’re not sitting there with a pen and paper so a meal doesn’t suit going through a draft treaty,” he says “But that disadvantage has a flip side: it is more relaxed so provides a better opportunity to tackle knotty issues where a more formal context might lead to more inhibited discussion a traditional English afternoon tea can make the context feel even more informal and friendly.” sensitivities about causing diplomatic incidents tends to restrict the range of foods on offer Asparagus and sea bass are ambassadorial staples you are not doing things to provoke or annoy This tends to place certain limitations on the menu but there’s still plenty of scope for experimentation and doing things out of the ordinary.” Foods that risk offending cultural or religious values tend to be permanently off the agenda (pork is controversial here) we were trying to showcase British food and drink and pay respect to local Romanian food and drink—we’d mix it up with a local first course and British main course,” adds Brummell Consider the scallops and turbot served by the European Commission to former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson much of which hinged on European rights to British fishing waters.) And for all the planning that goes into such events diplomats attending as guests may face the odd high-risk dining table challenge “There’s a tradition in Kazakhstan to give a sheep’s head to an honored guest who must allocate pieces of it around the table,” says Brummell “The etiquette around the process can be quite elaborate as you are supposed to assign pieces according to the qualities of the other guests.” and notwithstanding global acts of aggression and aggrandizement that require being dealt with in hard-power political and military terms diplomatic dining will likely continue to be valued for its soft power using the principles of appeal and attraction reinforces the tone for how most nations coexist and evolve together As Anthony Bourdain neatly summed it up: “Barbecue may not be the road to world peace the Czech Republic’s former top diplomat in the UK “is a way of discovering the soul of a country” Secka is well-practised in seeking them out with his wife they regularly welcomed figures from the worlds of sport business and all sides of the British political spectrum to their official residence in Hampstead for a lively dinner prepared by then Chef Radek Kludka—opting to use their home rather than the embassy to entertain guests Proudly conscious of their country’s position in Europe they offer a carefully curated selection of Czech cuisine reflecting the abundance of farmable meat in Czech Republic but also demonstrating how the nation has influenced and been influenced by surrounding countries The couple enjoys confounding expectations—demonstrating that their nation has a prodigious wine production industry in addition to its more well-known beer industry the revelation that many of the cakes and pastries popular across central Europe originated from Czechia often sparks a fun debate Secka’s search for the elusive British soul also takes him to England’s football terraces and pubs with the timeless pleasures of fish and chips alongside a pint or two of real ale Lunch with Her Excellency Ambassador Tiina Intelmann the head of her country’s mission in London from 2017 to 2021 at the Estonian embassy in Queen’s Gate Terrace reveals a cuisine deliberately in sync with nature and the seasons Estonians tend to eat everything fresh—berries and everything else that comes straight from the garden Hunting and fishing remain very common pastimes and probiotic ingredients feature strongly along with vast quantities of sour cream—a constant in the Estonian diet Our meal at this stunningly designed embassy in the company of such a profoundly well-traveled and worldly host (Ambassador Intelmann has previously held posts with the United Nations in Israel and Liberia) seems to encapsulate an innately diplomatic metaphor nature and culinary culture can coexist so sympathetically is a valuable lesson for wider cooperation and better relationships everywhere while Estonia represents a relatively small diaspora in London their diplomatic mission is a trailblazer for a distinctive style of architecture down to the Estonian birdsong piped into its toilets It’s no surprise the location regularly features as a listing in the annual Open House Festival That Her Excellency Nomatemba Tambo lays the table herself to accommodate an unexpected guest during lunch is a small but revealing insight into the South African approach to hospitality the sharing of food is core to the South African national identity It is believed that when South Africa mediated between two conflicting parties followed by some robust movements to hypnotic South African melodies “I think being an excellent host is about genuineness,” she says “I believe South Africans are truly amongst the most hospitable people you will ever meet They will almost never just say ‘Hello.’ They will always follow a greeting with ‘How are you?’ And guess what Over lunch at the embassy in Trafalgar Square of placing them at the heart of why you are doing what you are doing natural resources and geography of the country it’s the gesture of opening up your table and yourself to your guests that seems to be the open secret of the embassy’s mission An invitation to dinner with His Excellency Erlan Idrissov at Kazakhstan’s embassy on Pall Mall reveals how acutely the nation feels its place at the heart of Eurasia traditions and more than 130 ethnicities; and has been influenced by Russian Menus at official dining occasions reflect that mix of cultures and nomadic culinary staples of lamb and horse meat are updated with obvious diplomatic intent “People from other parts of the world may feel squeamish that we love horse meat sometimes we also take some eating habits—including here in the UK—as strange and unusual,” says Idrissov “We tend to search for a balance between our culinary habits.”  traditionally consisting of boiled horse meat is made in London with beef or mutton; while quyrdaq a roasted meat dish traditionally prepared in a lamb stomach More authentic staples from Kazakhstan include its most famous chocolate brand whose wrapping appropriately mimics the colors of the Kazakh national flag “Cuisine is a tool for a country to present itself to highlight its cultural identity,” Idrissov tells us “It is especially true for a young nation like ours—not many people can even locate Kazakhstan on the map we build bridges of friendship and mutual understanding There is a famous Kazakh expression that goes ‘When the cannons talk the diplomats must be silent.’ Our task is to make sure the cannons do not start talking.” Since entering her role as Georgian Ambassador to the UK in April 2020 Her Excellency Sophie Katsarava has seen the country’s wine exports to Britain increase by over 150% and growing This may be a consequence of increased alcohol consumption during lockdown and burgeoning interest in natural wines But we suspect it could also be due to her passion for promoting it as part of her diplomatic mission Georgia is one of the oldest wine-producing countries in the world and its traditions have been recognized by UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list Its moderate climate and Black Sea-moistened air provide fine conditions for vine cultivation the soil in vineyards has been so intensively cultivated that grape vines grow up the trunks of fruit trees The grapes eventually hang down among the trees’ fruit as they collectively ripen—a method of cultivation called maglari falling victim to political tensions with Russia Katsarava proudly serves it during official functions correcting preconceptions and winning new respect for the country and its vinous output over a taster The dining table at the Colombian embassy in London has become something of a shop window that brings to life just how delicious gains in more sustainable approaches to agriculture and nature can be It’s a clear mandate for a diplomatic gastronomy strategy that adorns menus with plentiful seafood all of which contribute directly and indirectly to protecting Colombia’s forests and coastlines and the richness of their fauna and flora; as well as preserving its indigenous cultures “Our gastronomic approach safeguards the ingredients and traditions of our country," says  His Excellency Antonio José Ardila particularly given the fact that combating climate change and protecting biodiversity are among the cornerstones of the bilateral relationships between Colombia and the UK a strategic push towards sustainable agriculture is not only ecologically responsible but also helps build more positive associations of a country that has experienced decades of negative effects as a result of the drug trade An estimated 80% of the 12,000 Indian restaurants in the UK are so you’d be forgiven for thinking that the two countries’ culinary cultures are well entwined But the overflowing table hosted by Her Excellency Saida Muna Tasneem at the Bangladesh High Commission in Queen’s Gate acts as an eloquent testament to the astonishing range and nuance of her country’s gastronomic heritage Tasneem—the High Commissioner for Bangladesh to the UK as well as Ambassador to Ireland and Liberia and Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the IMO—is a revered figure in London’s diplomatic circles she acts informally on behalf of an alliance of female diplomats advocating for women in the developing world Whether she is in Brick Lane’s curry houses she addresses the wide array of causes dear to her heart over fragrant plates of her country’s renowned food coriander and rice as the staples of Bangladeshi food Tasneem states that these ingredients “run through our blood.” Also it is said that Bangladeshis cannot survive on foreign food after three days away from home As a sign of how seriously the Sri Lankan High Commissioner to the UK takes the role of the dining table in diplomatic life it would be difficult to beat the fact that Her Excellency Saroja Sirisena personally wrote and planned the entire menu herself Sri Lanka’s culinary heritage reflects a complex colonial history with many ingredients and flavors from Portuguese Dutch and British imperial days still influencing diets and tastes the island’s reputation as a producer of fine tea pervades (it’s one of its biggest exports) That innate ability to integrate different flavors and the power of food to draw people together is clearly celebrated by an ambassador who has herself carved out a career in the contrasting cultures of India following education in Australia and France With Costa Rican cuisine having already merged its indigenous flavors with Spanish it’s no surprise that His Excellency Rafael Ortiz Fábrega enthusiastically took up his position as the country’s ambassador to the UK—no doubt with the prospect of experiencing delicious new flavors in the melting pot that is London he arguably got an early taste for how food and drink—or at least soft drinks—can wield soft power across the world after serving for more than previous role as General Counsel Central America and the Caribbean Division for Coca-Cola he uses the power of his diplomatic dining table to target different priorities The country’s food and drink brings to life a new era of ecotourism; and its sustainable practices highlight the challenges of mitigating the effects of climate change and making the Costa Rican economy net zero in carbon emissions by 2050 If Danish cuisine once followed the trajectory of its fellow Nordic countries its diplomats now have the mantle of New Danish cuisine to live up to Michelin-starred Danish chefs and restaurants routinely take the top spots of global rankings (Copenhagen restaurants Noma and Geranium took first and second spots respectively in the 2021 World's 50 Best Restaurant Awards.)   you’d think Denmark’s former ambassador to the UK with the Danish embassy being the first purpose-built mission in central London (it dates back to 1977) it seems as if the country has been conscious of using food as a soft diplomatic power for some time Ambassador Thuesen calculates that some 50,000 guests have eaten around the table in its very Danish-designed dining room with careful attention given to the color of flowers seating arrangements and the order of toasts It's perhaps no surprise that light-hearted beer nationalism is practiced with Tuborg and Carlsberg a staple of the fridge The FCDO plays a key role in showcasing UK cuisine and the icons of British food in British Embassies and High Commissions around the world—everything from Scottish smoked salmon to English sparkling wines this is an export industry worth £23 billion Recent on-the-ground examples of such soft power include Stephen Hickey baking local bread and preparing Iraqi dishes during social media cook-alongs in Arabic; and former Prime Minister Boris Johnson gifting hampers packed full of clotted cream biscuits and Cornish sea salt to international partners ahead of the G7 Summit in Cornwall in June 2021 Witness the fusions of British classics with local culture such as “le Lancashire ‘otpot canapés” served at the British Embassy in Paris or the low-carbon vegan lunch hosted by the Ambassador to Belgium British Ambassadors and High Commissioners representing the UK around the world have nominated 70 of their favourite recipes to a special “Platinum Jubilee Cookbook” celebrating British food and drink products the former Minister of State with responsibilities for Asia it’s clear that this approach is just as relevant today as it has been historically “This isn’t just about fine dining clichés at the most prestigious posts but the power that food and drink has as a universal language in helping us build bridges with international partners” he says Bompas & Parr and WePresent are grateful to the Ambassadors diplomatic and embassy staff who facilitated curated and prepared the meals and interviews for this article Raushan Ussenova; Diplomatic Spouse Club London Venitia van Kuffler; Editor DIPLOMAT Magazine Straun Stevenson; former Member of the European Parliament Want (even) more WePresent?Sign up to our monthly newsletter We speak to MOLA and Bompas & Parr about the project to create an immersive museum on the site of the newly-excavated Curtain Theatre Leading multi-sensory experience design studio Bompas & Parr is collaborating with Historic England and Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA) to create an immersive museum dedicated to William Shakespeare Opening in 2024 London’s new Museum of Shakespeare is being built on the site of the Curtain Theatre in Shoreditch the main venue for Shakespeare’s company before the Globe was built The site was first uncovered by archaeologists in 2011 The new museum will include a projected reconstruction of the original theatre above the remains of the stage bring the world of London in 1598 to life ‘transported’ through Bompas and Parr’s wizardry to the 16th century will also be able to perform on the stage where Romeo and Juliet and Henry V debuted “The Museum of Shakespeare will be the most ambitious project that Bompas & Parr has undertaken It is in line with our mission to create location-based experiences that make London a more interesting place and a city unrivalled in its cultural importance,” said Bompas & Parr co-founder Harry Parr and Sam Bompas of Bompas and Parr speak to blooloop about the project For Knight, archaeology is a lifelong passion I knew this is what I wanted to do,” she tells blooloop “Leading the excavations on the site of the Curtain has been a privilege Shakespeare still has a worldwide connection with people With that comes an enormous responsibility It’s a two-edged sword: an enormous privilege which has transformed our understanding of early modern performance On one of the buildings was a brown plaque that said ‘This is the site of the Curtain Theatre’ The then-client wanted to know if it really was The first trial trenches we dug on the site were down the back of the Horse and Groom pub.” the team found walls and surfaces that seemed promising: “They were the right age and doing the right thing for them to be – possibly – part of the Curtain Theatre.” “We did a full open area excavation in that area on that road frontage to try and find the full extent of the building It was at that point we realised the building was the right date and had finds associated with it that you’d expect to find in a place of commercial entertainment we had enough information to be able to say we are fairly confident that this is the Curtain.’” What they found confounded long-held assumptions about Tudor playhouses revolutionary was the fact that the building was rectangular It’s not one of the polygonal structures like the modern Globe Professor Holger Syme from Toronto wrote a blog in May 2016 in which he described it as a game-changing moment It completely made us reevaluate what we thought we knew about playhouses and the evolution of drama and performance during that period.” “It’s actually more typical than those polygonal playhouses that we associate with Shakespeare. If you look at the playhouses in London in Yet around the suburbs to the north of the city to have something odd going on at this point We had rectangular structures north and to the east of the city – there’s the Red Lion down in Mile End as well – and then we had these polygonal structures which everybody has come to regard as typical playhouses “It’s making us reevaluate what we know MOLA has excavated numerous playhouses over the years: “We have dug the site of the Rose on Bankside Another company has looked at the Red Lion at Mile End It has external surfaces that the audience stood on outside the playhouse Fragments of the internal gravel surface that the audience stood on to watch performances are intact “We can see there were two rooms to the side of the stage One of those has a rather nice cobbled floor to it We then have steps down into that under-stage space From the post holes and beam slots within that under-stage space we can understand the framing that actually supported the stage.” Of all the playhouses that we’ve done – around seven – it is the best-preserved we only have ground level and below remains we’ve only got three-quarters of the building A quarter of it still probably exists under the Horse and Groom pub “But the fact that we have above-ground-level remains means we have enough to start to understand its architecture and to understand how people would have used that space.” In terms of how the archaeology will be incorporated into the new Museum of Shakespeare “It’s now a scheduled monument. That is the highest level of protection the government can confer, because of its importance and rarity. The museum space wraps itself around the archaeology “There are plans to construct a glass stage at the original stage height over the remains you’ll be able to stand in the same space that Shakespeare stood It’s going to be the only playhouse that is truly accessible because all the others have been reburied These will be the only physical remains that you’ll be able to see and walk around Turning to the artefacts discovered in the course of the excavation of the Museum of Shakespeare site we have something like 20,000 fragments of pottery and a similar amount of animal bone “The finds that we have that relate to the playhouse are things like beads from people’s clothing – the type of tiny beads that might have been sewn onto a nice pair of gloves by people selling food and drink within the playhouse “Tradition says they were used to collect money at the door But another thing we’re starting to re-evaluate is the use of money pots within these buildings Rather than being used to collect money at the door I think they’re more likely to have been used by traders folks selling food and drink within that space “Then there are tiny personal objects – bone combs This gives us an idea of it as a place of people spending their leisure time. They’re having a good time It’s the place to meet their friends has always been that it was a comparatively down-market venue: it was a sort of citizens playhouse; a gentleman wouldn’t have been seen there But when you look at the quantity of beads that have come detached from high-end-ish clothing when jostled past each other This is actually not necessarily the playhouse of the rabble It’s probably the playhouse of the middle classes “There was a rise in the middle class at this point The Curtain was one of London’s fencing venues: “So is that the reason for its bad reputation as a down-market venue?” Knight suggests but through the performance and spectacle that people are going to see I always liken it to cinema; it’s more of a Kill Bill venue than a Bridget Jones one but it would have put on plays with fight scenes “The audience would have known what they were going to see but they would also be there to watch a company of actors who really know how to use a sword.” Knight welcomes Bompas and Parr’s involvement in the Museum of Shakespeare project: “The way they will interpret the museum is great Not everybody engages with heritage in the same way If you have a museum that looks like every other museum it will attract people who go to those types of museums but there’s a broader spectrum of folks that I think will actually go through the doors because of the content.” Bompas and Parr’s design means the museum will reach audiences that it wouldn’t have reached otherwise: The remains of the Curtain Theatre will be the highlight of The Stage a park and a purpose-built visitor centre for the Curtain Theatre this is a fascinating project,” Sam Bompas tells blooloop: “It’s also pretty intimidating. We are working with an awful lot of Shakespearean experts. You can spend an entire life studying the subject, and not touch the sides. Going into bookshops with Shakespearean sections, you find vast reams written about every aspect of life. We have to crystallize that down to an experience that can be enjoyed by experts and children alike “Our solution to all of it lies in the fact that Shakespeare really works well when it is performed “We are also very interested in the question of what museums should be If we go back to the archaic term ‘museum’ What we want to deliver is a place where you can go and find your individual muse Shakespeare is the vehicle through which to do that we ultimately want to put you on the very same stage where Romeo and Juliet and Henry V were first performed so you are put at the very centre of the story.” We’re then able to build on that with creativity and to create something that we hope is really rather remarkable.” The technology being used is both immersive and multisensory an ‘immersive’ exhibit is one informed by a narrative that is often supported by academic research where elemental content and interactive elements play a role “We’re going far beyond the many video projection installations that exist now,” he comments Interpreted through Bompas and Parr’s idiosyncratic vision Bompas contends that museums are places for inspiration be able to find their personal inspiration The perception of the time spent walking around a museum can and multiple content-creation opportunities Techniques, approaches, and technologies from other disciplines – theatre and ancient crafts can be leveraged to offer compelling experiences The title ‘museum’ confers a measure of authority and responsibility – but museums can be puckish The museum doesn’t stop at the limit of the premises but exists in people’s minds and their onward practice In terms of being a museum while we do have some very important archaeology to present to the public and preserve for the future we don’t have a huge collection to maintain It comes with some advantages in terms of how we get to redefine what museums are.” Bompas and Parr’s involvement in the project ensures the new museum will also reach beyond the usual visitorship of a Shakespeare-themed museum “Shakespeare played with the universals of humanity,” Bompas says “That’s why the work is still being performed all the way around the world by lots and lots of different people presented to illustrate and tell lots of different stories even though you’re working with the same script.” You wouldn’t want to tackle anything too topical that would potentially put the production at risk You had to talk about something that really got to the very centre of the different aspects of human experience The good thing about this is that whenever we hit a challenge we could look to Shakespeare to try and answer it “How do we get to the centre of what human experience actually is One of the things that museums and even immersive productions – whatever they are – don’t always facilitate is human connection too: you’re sitting in the dark watching some people on the stage.” This is something Bompas and Parr are addressing: “We are making a lot of design decisions focused on getting people to speak to and bond with other people you realise that all those marvellous solo features in Shakespeare weren’t soliloquies but rather dialogues with an active live audience who were participants is one of the things that is slightly lost in theatre now Through building relationships across the show people will then be able to have that much more participatory Elizabethan experience.” “We want people coming out having learned more about what it all meant.” “The object-based storytelling that is the traditional approach of museums is still very valuable The objects themselves don’t even need to be very precious any object can be a remarkable portal through which to step Even the most mundane ones can be presented in interesting ways we’re interested in breaking down the borders of museums and having lots of relationships with other experts and organisations We’ve got dialogues with all the Shakespearean organisations in the UK the visitors will be performing Shakespeare We’ll make sure that when they do so they’ll be sensational but they might also want to go and see some really good Shakespeare productions in Stratford The new Museum of Shakespeare is located in Hackney on the border of the City Of London “Shakespeare is one of our greatest cultural exports,” Bompas says “Some people even say Shakespeare’s better performed in other languages because you’re not so constrained by previous productions You’re forced to think about what you present “A lot of the written plays are four hours long but a Tudor performance would be two hours They were editing them even in Shakespeare’s day.” Commenting on how the archaeological exploration has changed some of the assumptions that had been made about Tudor playhouses The Shakespearean academics we’re working with say this was effectively the IMAX of Tudor London The bigger stage meant that it was where you would put on the big action productions with all the fight scenes “Another great takeaway is also understanding that many of the audience were going to the theatre to watch the fighting It was a time when most men carried weapons There were ordinances that tried to limit the size of the sword that could be carried We now tend to see Romeo and Juliet as a great romance much of it is just the setup for some fantastic fights.” Commenting on the experience of working with the MOLA on the Museum of Shakespeare project It’s such fun working with total experts.” While not a Shakespearean scholar before this project Bompas has been immersing himself in Shakespeare productions “How we relate to it is by trying to find those things that are universally appealing It is about the universal human experience.” Get the latest attractions industry
 news direct to your inbox Blooloop is taking climate action and is now B Corp Certified Words:  Lalla Merlin The pair are bringing a unique new food experience to the World Expo Bompas and Parr’s The Future of Food: Epochal Banquet will bring a groundbreaking multi-sensory culinary experience to Expo 2020 Dubai Inspired by the Novacene, a future era hypothesised by centenarian scientist and inventor James Lovelock, the immersive gastronomic adventure will fuse hedonism and sustainability exploring issues such as world hunger and food waste as it features delicacies formed with futuristic techniques while replete with fun and decadent irreverence the banquet has an underlying serious mission Sam Bompas last spoke with blooloop in 2017. What has happened to the pair in the interim has been reflective of what has been happening in the wider world been a total acceleration of this realm; we’re right in the thick of it we have very deep expertise in the realm of food and drink many of the operators are coming into this from slightly different angles “There are the likes of Secret Cinema who are coming at it from cinematic function. Or Punch Drunk from an immersive theatre angle. Or, Meow Wolf very successfully running at it from an artistic background “We do a lot of our own projects and develop our own IPs,” Bompas says. “We’re also advising a lot of other people’s IPs and helping other operators find sites. Plus, advising on F&B and multi-sensory components because we have a lot of knowledge about things like smell or taste “If you’re coming from other disciplines “The final bit of it is that we spend a lot of our time working with brands around the world They’re also waking up to the fact they have spent two years trying to do digital experiences then realising that they’re absolutely crap “I’ve been on a lot of panels over the last two years where I’ve sat there and felt Digital things just didn’t really marry up to the embodied real-life experiences no one could point out a digital experience that was as good as the real-life analogue that it was trying to mimic “One of the good things is that digital integration into in-real-life experience is more effective now given that if you walk down the road or sit in a Tube carriage you see that everyone has a phone in their hands.” comes better opportunities for capturing and sharing experiences and for generating revenue and spend per head seamlessly across an experience Now…people who hold the property take leisure seriously as a long-term strategy They are not just thinking of it as an interim use Concerning the evolution of location-based experiences “We are seeing established operators, often coming from theme parks, taking on these new challenges that have been bubbling up organically. Many came about as a result of the 2008 recession. This made property available to do interesting things. And the trend has now accelerated because retail has taken a hammering “The difference now is that people who hold the property take leisure seriously as a long-term strategy Bompas and Parr got their break when a landlord offered them space in a shop on which he would otherwise have had to pay empty building rates “That forced us to think about how we could do something that would generate revenue very quickly you can generate huge amounts of revenue over a longer period of time “That is a very candid rundown of everything across the whole industry what it means is that if you’ve got the right idea if you’ve got the right partners from investment through to operations to sites “Of course, all those opportunity gates, from a London perspective slightly flipped on their heads three months ago in terms in terms of availability of talent that real humans and we in the industry are going to get the chance to go to some absolutely awesome things For Expo 2020 Bompas and Parr present The Future of Food: Epochal Banquet The immersive 3-course dining experience and culinary odyssey is themed around space artificial intelligence and hyper-intelligence cutting-edge technology and world-class performers multi-room experience is designed to expand the diner’s perception of the possibilities of the future of food Highlights include glow-in-the-dark entrees ultra-rare ingredients and flavour-changing desserts The concept is inspired by NOVACENE: The Coming Age of Hyperintelligence an alternative hypothesis about the future by eminent scientist who wrote the book as he was about to reach his 100th birthday he invented instruments for Mars rovers and helped to discover the depletion of the ozone layer He is best known in pop culture for his “Gaia hypothesis” “We do a lot of work on ‘futures of’,” says Bompas we have done consultancy work for the people who genuinely shape the way that we eat when working with the drinks companies we will be looking at whisky It is becoming a very valuable commodity as the Scotch whisky market booms You make a lot of money if you do more premium spirits as well.” “It means we spend a lot of time peering into the future to advise the people who will actually deliver the food and drink goods for swathes of humanity “We spend a lot of time writing annual future food reports consulting with other people – WGSN and The Future Laboratory– who write reports as well as presenting our own exciting findings at blooloop which is our favourite forum for looking at what might happen in years to come.” With The Future of Food at Expo 2020 Dubai Bompas and Parr are looking not just 20 years into the future  “We want to do it not just as our opinions but by working with the best thinkers in humanity One of those people is scientist and inventor James Lovelock who has the most amazing life story This looks at the dawn of the age of hyperintelligence “It means that rather than our Future exhibition being just our supposition we’re basing it on someone who has thought widely and deeply about the subject Someone who has a good track record of coming up with ideas that have then been proven true or impactful “He says that because he didn’t have a formal academic education but has worked in academia for a long time he’s able to draw together things that other people wouldn’t necessarily put together for drawing together lots of different experts which is what I feel I spend my life doing.” Lovelock came up with the widely acknowledged Gaia hypothesis if he didn’t actually invent the microwave certainly came up with one independently before they were commercially available in the context of the reanimation of cryonically-preserved rodents using microwave diathermy he was telling us about his experiences with reanimating mice,” Bompas says “He invented the microwave because he was working in cryonics at the time looking at the impact of freezing and unfreezing on the bodies “At the time, the very best way to reanimate them was to take the frozen mouse and heat it up using a hot spoon to warm their heart rapidly. He felt that it could be overly painful to the animals. So, he invented the microwave as a more humane way to reanimate them through the experiments. It’s an example of a man considering animal consciousness at a time when that was not done.” “He has a phenomenal and exciting track record The other thing is that his vision deep into the future is rather more optimistic than many.” Lovelock’s book rejects self-flagellation around environmental destruction positioning it as part of a process: ‘a product of evolution … an expression of nature.’ whether that means the choices within their own life or the choices they’ll make that will affect many people Many of the people coming through the site will be decision-makers as to what humanity’s collective future will be.”  He compares the experience to a dream: “It’s a good way to make informed decisions. One hypothesis suggests that the reason we dream is so that we can experience things We rehearse them in our minds before they happen we are basically doing a dress rehearsal for people’s futures so that those people can help us make the best choices when we get there ‘The future is already here – it’s just not evenly distributed.’ “We are trying to draw together different moments of futurity and concentrate them in a single installation It is a chance for people to experience them before they emanate out into the wider world That means that when they arrive at those futures they will already have considered some of the moral from a foundation of scientific best practice on which the cultural elements can be layered; “That is about working with our architects to create spectacle and playfulness and fun and humour I think that also fits in with Lovelock’s optimistic view.” Bompas and Parr’s The Future of Food: Epochal Banquet will feature the same techniques that NASA uses to collect dust There will also be edible creations that glow in the dark flavour changing desserts and rare ingredients We are factoring in things that they’re doing we are working with Professor Duncan Cameron at the University of Sheffield He and his team are growing herbs in a simulated future atmosphere from the year 2220 “We are hypothesizing exactly what the makeup of the atmosphere will be pumping that into a grow tunnel and growing the dill that will go into the dishes for the main course “We’re also documenting that. I’m quite interested to see what happens. Climate change is going to have a huge impact on where and how we grow food There are speculators buying up land that is under snow at the moment across Canada Other places will have a tough time or will have to radically change their agronomy these endeavours we’re doing which end up on the plate can have much wider implications.” One course of the banquet is entirely glow-in-the-dark “We’re working with Californian bioscientists using cell culture to synthesize very precise proteins It’s about what happens in a post-meat landscape and letting people taste it This is another way for people to start exploring ideas about what authenticity means in terms of food Authenticity has developed an aesthetic shorthand of beards and stripped wood which in many ways is completely artificially simulated.” So what is authenticity in food and what are the future implications of genetic modification we must grow as much food as previously grown in the whole of human history consensus that genetic modification is the way that we’re going to do this agronomy has been an endeavour to manipulate genomes we have used whatever our scientific best practice is we have a more powerful and extensive toolbox than previously.” are the creative implications of that toolbox “I’m obsessed with fruit,” he says. “I’m told that currently there are 20,000 documented edible fruits. But it is speculated that there might be as many as four times that. What delicious things have we not tasted? And, once the shackles are off with transgenics, what delicious things could there be that we haven’t tasted How could this help to ensure that more people have better access to better food for more of the time?” While we’re addressing some pressing issues for the future of food It’s still a really lovely night out while we’re addressing some pressing issues for the future of food It’s still a really lovely night out.” The sybaritic quality of Bompas and Parr’s creations remains even as they address the most serious issues of all A further venture in the future of food coming soon is the Royal Docks Flavour Rainbow It is a spectacle that will soar across Royal Victoria Dock from 15-31 October 2021 “We are hosting a bonafide, genuine world first. This is the flavour rainbow We have commissioned Professor Simon Werrett of the Department of Science and Technology Studies at UCL We got to know Simon when we’re doing the flavour fireworks for London He has expertise in the history of Russian science much of science wouldn’t have happened.” states and potentates invested in sciences They wanted pyrotechnics to impress their populaces and their friends at parties And they also wanted more powerful explosives if in case of battle It meant that the scientists then were given the funding for research “Simon put us on to artificial rainbows; we then worked out ways in which to use some of the flavour dosing technology that we know about to make rainbows that you can actually taste The creative directors for the project are the pupils attending the local Newham schools: “We’re working with the schools to imagine what Royal docks’ icons would smell and taste like if they were edible to create rainbows you can taste underneath the Silvertown flyover This is one of Europe Europe’s first flyovers It is a masterpiece of brutalist architecture “We’re hoping that everyone will find it as magical as we do if there’s a flavour rainbow beneath it.” Get the latest attractions industry news direct to your inbox More from this author speed and the best experience on this site Bompas & Parr’s presenters at V-Expo were co-founder Sam Bompas Bompas & Parr offered a thrilling presentation exploring the major challenges and opportunities for F&B at attractions and location-based experiences (LBE) The team looked at what visitors will be eating and drinking next and how attractions can offer “new interesting experiences that activate all of the senses” Bompas & Parr also provided a look at the future in the innovation kitchen with guests learning about what they’ll be soon eating and drinking “Attractions of the past created some of the greatest food innovations that we know today, and they can again,” said Bompas, referencing F&B at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge “One of the particularly brilliant innovations there was blue milk which is a sweetened milk concoction,” he said “You’re adding some blue food dye – very But you’re able to achieve selling them for $30.” “We also love the art-inspired cakes at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art Bompas said these food experiences are “not just filling a hole they are part of the experience itself” soggy chips and highly sugary desserts are all associated with a day trip to the theme park” “This can completely disrupt visitor flow and imagination,” said Bompas “Crafted narrative stories are abruptly interrupted by a carton of salty chips in an environment strewn with screwed up napkins.” The bottom line – this is a hugely missed opportunity.” Hope went on to outline Bompas & Parr’s top five key opportunities for F&B within attractions “Attractions really offer journeys into fantasy worlds when no one else can,” she said “Bompas & Parr believe that every part of a journey really should be considered “So even if you pop to the toilet, you should still be in your fantasy world.” Here, she referenced the haunted toilet attracting visitors at Lagunasia in Japan She continued: “What if the food and drink experience was as good Hope said “there’s an opportunity for attractions to really enhance their own IP through F&B” also discussing the Andy Warhol exhibition at the Tate Modern visitors can head to a themed dining experience where they “can enjoy Andy’s tomato soup “We need to be continuing those narratives,” added Hope “The narratives that really people are going to theme parks and attractions to gain.” This involves “really looking at food and beverage becoming the attraction itself” “Galaxy’s Edge is a fantastic example of where food and drink really has become the main attraction.” Bompas & Parr’s second opportunity is social distancing, or “adding a positive spin” to health and safety measures amid COVID-19 “As groups of six or less are waiting in queues we could develop narratives for those groups of six people,” she said “It’s about taking these rules and tying them into something much more fun.” Bompas & Parr’s third opportunity is virtual food, because “we’re seeing more trends for digital avatars”. The studio also suggests using augmented reality (AR) “We can start looking at how we can combine both food and beverage and digital,” said Hope “There are opportunities for any food packaging that you get to have AR easily added to it “Perhaps when you get your burger box Bompas & Parr suggests seasonal F&B “Seasonal refreshment is a really simple thing,” said Hope and it can be done to coincide with the launch of an exhibition or a ride offering.” Hope said the studio “looks at food halls as theme parks” and has seen “a continuing number of food halls pop up over the country as consumers look for more casual dining experiences” She acknowledges that while food halls are not attractions they “allow groups of friends to experience multiple cuisines and experiences within one place” “But one problem currently is that those food halls are all fairly similar in their offerings and they lack an overarching narrative to allow the experience to be truly joined up,” said Hope “So we really believe there’s a huge opportunity with food halls by implementing a narrative journey across a visit,” she added “With themed moments throughout.” Hope summarised Bompas & Parr’s findings: “We can really summarise all of that by saying that the future of food at attractions lies in imagination building “It lies in continued narrative and finally an elevated experience design.” Bompas & Parr also discussed “scream-fuelled food” with Cheetham creating “fractal desserts” “Bompas & Parr imagines the future of theme parks to feature circular energy systems to power food and beverage production,” said Hope “Heat can be pulled from roller coaster frictions before being transferred to kitchens.” “The studio has also been looking at sci-fi prototyping and what this means for the future of food and drinks at attractions,” said Hope “This is all about expanding that IP narrative and using that narrative to really drive innovation.” Bompas & Parr predicts an entirely transparent restaurant with Hope explaining: “The kitchen is transparent the tables and chairs that you sit on are transparent the team showcased the transparent restaurant “through the realm of jelly” Bompas & Parr said “the worst part about visiting any theme park is the motion sickness that you can experience” after riding coasters “What if food and drink offerings could “Imagine if you’ve got a digital wristband and that wristband is monitoring your motion sickness to access the vending machine “We imagine that you can go and tap that wristband on the vending machine and then you’ll then be dispensed a mind-over-matter dropper.” Watch the full session at the blooloop V-Expo The full session will be on demand from October 15 This is the third year of Bompas & Parr’s Future of Food report this report is the team “speculating spectacularly on what will happen” this year It involves the team trusting their guts and making the future This ensures that the company is always doing something different Alex Hope, Creative Strategist at Bompas & Parr then took us through the six new trends of the year The report begins by discussing what will happen to the way we eat if we have brain implants Bompas & Parr believe that this would allow for a greater innovation in flavour through the implant but the flavour would be transformed through your transplant this could encourage more people to drink water as it could be made to taste like lemonade and this will cross over into food transparency The consumer’s desire for authenticity and honesty will create immersive dining experiences.  Diners will be able to experience the entire process involved in making their food They will watch their plates being made and learn about butter churning How can we make people’s guts healthier By taking healthy gut bacteria from donors in peak physical condition and making it into food Attendees at the event tasted the future as they were able to try some kimchi made with healthy gut bacteria In an age where taking a picture of your meal before you eat it is popular, it is logical that the next step is tablescaping This is a process of laying the table to fit a chosen theme You could soon find yourself sitting down to eat seafood with a fish tank in the middle of the table Eating cheese before bed will give you nightmares That’s what we’ve always been told Eating before sleep increases your metabolism which in turn increases your brain activity So perhaps certain foods will cause certain types of dreams Look out for supermarkets selling dream-inducing snacks in the future Most of our lives are recorded through the data collected by our phones and smartwatches This data could be used to personalise our diets Your smartwatch would track your heart rate after eating The event closed with a bang…or more accurately Bompas & Parr revealed a magnetic meringue After realising that a magnet can pull bran flakes through water the company extracted the iron from bran flakes and added them to a meringue mix A tasty meringue that can be summoned with the help of a magnet “We have produced trend reports in the past and we have seen some of them come to life These closing remarks by Alex Hope left everyone feeling enthusiastic for the future of food Attendees left the event wondering what their next dream would be about after being given a ’40 Wheys and 40 Nights’ dreaming tonic no one will have nightmares about gut bacteria food Bompas & Parr recently spoke at the BlooloopLIVE conference in December covering the front rows in whiskey-soaked ping pong balls Casey Cornucopia is Bompas & Parr’s latest immersive experience Bompas & Parr are creating their first sensory installation in Australia with giant fruit sculptures and flavoured fog on offer at Bunjil Place in Casey from 24 June to 17 July Bompas & Parr’s new immersive experience is an interactive installation featuring the world’s first edible mist and oversized fruit sculptures that showcase the heritage of Casey’s foodways and the region’s produce also referred to as ‘fruit weather’ will be released from the base of the sculptures with three different flavours available each day Part of Casey’s Winter Arts Festival Casey Cornucopia also includes educational workshops a local food hub and an exclusive dining programme “Bompas & Parr are thrilled to present Casey Cornucopia championing the region’s vibrant indigenous produce through a collision of meteorology and pomology,” said Sam Bompas The launch party for Casey Cornucopia takes place on 24 June Bompas & Parr works with commercial brands private clients and governments to offer immersive experiences Last year, Bompas & Parr unveiled the world’s first ‘flavour rainbow’ in east London created using bespoke light refracted through multicoloured moisture.  “Flavour and meteorology have always inspired us; to see them collide so spectacularly is a dream of mystical proportions come to true,” said Harry Parr Bompas & Parr also launched a multi-sensory food experience called ‘The Future of Food: Epochal Banquet’ at Expo 2020 Dubai Image: Bunjil Place/Bompas & Parr Words:  Bea Mitchell a multi-sensory food experience by Bompas & Parr The Future of Food: Epochal Banquet is a multi-sensory food experience cooked up by experience design studio Bompas & Parr in collaboration with Expo 2020 Dubai The two-hour culinary odyssey is inspired by space artificial intelligence (AI) and hyperintelligence with tickets going on sale from early September “Each course will take guests deeper into the future through first-of-its-kind dishes as well as immersive experiences that stir each of the senses,” said Sam Bompas “We are thrilled to be bringing the Future of Food: Epochal Banquet to a global audience at Expo 2020 Dubai where we hope to inspire diners to think positively about the reality of technology-infused dishes.” Epochal Banquet diners will get to taste delicacies formed using the same technique that NASA uses to collect comet dust, edible creations that glow in the dark, flavour-changing desserts, and rare ingredients The curated experience is inspired by Novacene: The Coming Age of Hyperintelligence a 2019 non-fiction book by scientist and environmentalist James Lovelock It features a multi-course exploratory menu that investigates the future of food including using AI to sustainably feed a growing global population and tackle food waste “Our World Expo is a global experience that will offer an endless journey of discovery – including through food and beverages,” said Marjan Faraidooni, chief experience officer at Expo 2020 Dubai Faraidooni said the experience offers a “taste of the culinary experiences of tomorrow while also delving into pressing global challenges based around food security and how innovation and food will combine in the future” Expo 2020 Dubai runs from October 1 The event will feature more than 200 F&B outlets offering a world of cuisines and innovative concepts Images: Expo 2020 Dubai/Bompas & Parr More from this author Run in association with global consultancy PwC at their headquarters on Embankment blooloopLIVE UK will focus on the future of visitor attractions from Disney and Universal to Twycross Zoo and The Museum of London will highlight trends in the industry and look at how their own attractions are reacting to the expectations of today’s visitors A few tickets remain for blooloopLIVE UK, click here to book your place at the industry’s leading conference Joining a stellar line of leading thinkers in the field of visitor attractions Bompas & Parr design spectacular experiences often working on an architectural scale with cutting edge technology The firm is globally recognised as the leading expert in “polysensory experience design“ private clients and governments to deliver emotionally compelling and immersive experiences The Whisky Tornado installation uses powerful humidifiers and negative air pressure These create a spinning column of whisky vapour The high humidity level ‘enhances taste perception’ ‘Inhaling the Whisky Tornado will intoxicate as the alcohol is absorbed through the lungs and straight into the blood Bompas & Parr join a fantastic lineup of speakers at blooloopLIVE UK Joe Pine (Co-founder Strategic Horizons and co-author of The Experience Economy) Bompas & Parr has had several projects across Asia The new studio aims to capitalise on the cultural and creative industries in Hong Kong which contributed $111.8 billion to the economy in 2017 Bompas & Parr’s studio in Hong Kong will be led by Twins Kitchen’s Josh Ng who has extensive knowledge of experiential F&B and believes that interior design and visual interaction stimulates the audience to experience the food itself Bompas & Parr’s previous collaborative projects in Asia include ‘Spirited Forecast’ in Tokyo ‘Where Explorers Meet’ in Singapore ‘The Single-Opticon’ in Taiwan ‘The Flavour Condctor’ in Kuala Lumpur’ and ‘Sausage Social’ in Taipei Bompas & Parr is creating a series of its signature architectural jelly moulds of Hong Kong landmarks The edible landscapes will be available at INTERVAL in July Fans are invited to nominate which HK icons they would like to see modelled using the same programmes used by architects Entries can be sent to rowena@bompasandparr.com or tag @bompasandparr on Instagram by June 17 Successful participants will be given their own mould on the launch at INTERVAL said: “While the creative industries in both London and Hong Kong have faced a dynamic time of late “Bompas & Parr was forged in the early days of the 2008 financial crisis and this shaped and honed our practice “We are enormously excited about opening in Hong Kong in 2020 and look forward to realising most swashbuckling and ambitious projects.” added: “I am very excited to represent Bompas & Parr in Hong Kong “Hong Kong is the perfect creative hub for Bompas & Parr to expand into Asia We are looking forward to being collaborative and working with different creative parties in Asia.” Bompas & Parr recently released a new trend report, Fluid Landscapes, in which they explore behavioural changes as a result of coronavirus Prior to that, Bompas & Parr announced a hand sanitiser design competition with the designs to be displayed at the Design Museum Bompas & Parr’s ‘fruit weather’ is inspired by the region’s food habits and produce Bompas & Parr’s new sensory installation at Bunjil Place in Casey Australia will feature the Indigenous chocolate lily Kicking off on 24 June, Casey Cornucopia is Bompas & Parr‘s first interactive installation in Australia Home to the world’s first edible mist the attraction is available through 17 July The experience design studio teamed up with JPL Flavour Technologies to create the ‘fruit weather’ which is inspired by the region’s food habits and produce Bringing to life the fruit, vegetables and plants that are Indigenous to the area the fruity fog is released from the base of oversized fruit sculptures via powerful fog machines “One of the more notable flavours is the chocolate lily which has been selected for its local Indigenous connections and of course its unexpected scent,” says a media release Guests will “discover the story behind the chocolate lily by joining the daily informative tours and also attend the Cornucopia documentary series Casey Cornucopia will also offer educational workshops “Bompas & Parr are thrilled to present Casey Cornucopia championing the region’s vibrant Indigenous produce through a collision of meteorology and pomology,” said Sam Bompas Last year, Bompas & Parr unveiled the world’s first ‘flavour rainbow’ in London created using bespoke light refracted through multicoloured moisture “Flavour and meteorology have always inspired us; to see them collide so spectacularly is a dream of mystical proportions come true,” said Harry Parr Images: Bunjil Place/Bompas & Parr Drinks on offer include 'heavenly tonics' – such as Buckfast a tonic wine so caffeinated it was banned in Scotland for causing violent crimes – and Monk-y Business Other canonical cocktails include Mystery Mead which mixes Lindisfarne mead with honey syrup View Google Maps escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox Ajesh Patalay selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter and through a series of outlandish events that earned them comparisons to Willy Wonka made jelly not only desirable but de rigueur They created jellies for chef Heston Blumenthal and DJ Mark Ronson They staged an Architectural Jelly Design Competition for which some of the biggest names in architecture submitted entries whose “Wobbly Bridge” paid homage to his own springy Millennium Bridge Perhaps most whimsical were the violet and elderflower jellies they created for “Dining with Alice” a Lewis Carroll-themed immersive production set with raspberries and moulded to look like Brighton Pavilion the jellies were served to 250 people on a floating pontoon in the middle of a moat from the book Jelly with Bompas & Parr (Anova) © Chris TerryBenham & Froud fruit-cup jelly sets by Bompas & Parr from £20 The pair always hoped to develop their own jelly range who created a whole market,” says Parr of the juice and smoothie brand their creative consultancy work for clients such as LVMH Unilever and Hermès pulled them in other directions When the pandemic hit and life slowed considerably the range being launched this spring is a far cry from the one they first envisioned “Originally we were looking at a ready-to-eat product like a jelly pot,” says Parr “But we became more interested in developing a jelly cube so people could make their own creations and experience our jelly-making joy.” The initial range (which will be supplemented twice a year with seasonal collections) includes a line of plastic pâtissier moulds one limited-edition copper mould and three flavoured cubes: Gin & Blackberry Mandarin & Basil (“Flavours that provide the same sequential journey across the palate you’d expect from a good cocktail,” says Bompas) The cubes are made using the best cold-pressed juices and platinum-grade gelatine which still outperforms other (vegetarian) gelling agents such as agar and carrageenan “in flavour release and luxurious mouthfeel” They call them “cubes” (like the Hartley’s cubes many of us grew up on) but in fact they more closely resemble lozenges and come in elegantly designed boxes of six “We sent some to Tom Dixon and he immediately took a bite out of one,” says Bompas Benham & Froud strawberry and cream ribband jelly cube sets from £20 © Alexander CogginBenham & Froud’s sell-out Valentine's Jelly Box The challenge in making moulded jellies (as opposed to jelly for trifle) is making sure it sets “You spend an awful lot of time calculating volumes which is equivalent to one person’s dessert portion Their flavours are interesting and rich enough to work on their own as well as form the basis for more complex jellies cut that jelly into small pieces and set other jellies around it to mimic the texture of marble) The duo are also releasing a leaf gelatine so you can experiment with other flavours; their 2010 book Jelly with Bompas & Parr is packed with fanciful ideas such as a Chartreuse and peach version once served on the Titanic “We’re keen to give people the materials and instructions to set them free to explore what they’re interested in,” says Bompas Crucially, the range isn’t being released under their names but the brand name Benham & Froud after the British company founded in 1785 that once made the “Rolls-Royce of jelly moulds” The new collection draws on Benham & Froud’s greatest hits including moulds shaped like castles with multiple turrets it would look like this but probably more geometric,” says Bompas they hope to shine a light on Britain’s illustrious past in jelly-making French chefs would sneak across the Channel to get their hands on the most innovative moulds Yorkshire pioneer Elizabeth Raffald became famous for constructing underwater seascapes out of jelly and even a planetarium with a milky-white flummery moon and gelatine stars “Jelly is a great medium for creativity with infinite flavours “And it’s basically impossible to take a bad photograph of a jelly,” adds Bompas there’s something about this dessert that induces tingles “When you drop a spectacular jelly on the table,” says Bompas “it has the same impact that bringing in the flaming Christmas pudding has @ajesh34 Underneath the playful antics of the British duo’s mind-bending tongue-tickling lies an architectural rigor “British culinary wunderkinds.” “Willy Wonka during his freewheeling student days.” “Culinary deviants.” These are just a few things that the international press has called the food design partnership Bompas & Parr Sam Bompas and Harry Parr call themselves specialists in flavor-based experience design But exactly what they do is nearly indefinable Perhaps they could be best summed up as multisensory designers it’s clear that they’re visionary creatives who know no limits Bompas & Parr’s collaboration sprung from friendship “Harry and I have known each other forever,” says 31-year-old Bompas “We were old pals at school and we just wanted to do fun stuff all the time.” And what could be more fun than starting a jelly company who has done everything from financial public relations to running an escort agency (no not that type of escort agency—one that helped business travelers meet each other) While their original intent was to secure a stall at Borough Market in London—which never eventuated—their vision evolved into something much bigger “And we were doing really interesting projects and catering for thousands of people in a batch—all sorts of good stuff.” created in partnership with Johnnie Walker Blue Label and theatrical production experts created an organ that produced sounds and lighting effects to complement the whiskey’s six distinct notes Pushing the boundaries and sparking conversation are central to Bompas & Parr’s work. Their recent project Monumental Masonry explored what monuments and what they will look like in the future It called for architects and designers to submit models of epic monuments in a magnificent celebration of death and the results were displayed at Sir John Soane’s Museum “We’re interested in how the current media landscape changes people’s perceptions and relationship to death,” explains Bompas “Business is booming for morticians and funeral directors as people want to go out with a bit more pomp And there are unusual things happening on Facebook because the walls become memorials and tribute pages that live on after people die.” On a less morbid note, their immersive exhibition Funland: Pleasures & Perils of the Erotic Fairground, currently on view at New York City’s Museum of Sex takes a look at the sexual subtext of carnivals Visitors are invited to “jump for joy” in a bouncy castle filled with oversize blow-up breasts scale a climbing wall of bodily orifices and appendages and explore a mirrored labyrinth that leads patrons to the G-Spot—all while listening to a custom carnival soundscape by composer Dom James and being tempted by Bompas & Parr’s edible treats “The most important thing is that people have really gripping experiences,” says Bompas which debuted on Valentine’s Day 2015 at London’s Ace Hotel “This is one that gets people by the balls,” he says excitedly The project is an anatomical whiskey tasting that helps people understand their palates in relation to age but it’s very hard to really understand what the implications of aging are and what all that time in casks really does,” he says Bompas & Parr took spirits put in casks in a certain year and paired them with people—aged 25 to 50—who were born that same year Visitors then drank the whiskey off that person’s naked form “It really makes you think when you’ve got to have this negotiation with the model about where on their body you’re going to drink it from.” Bompas & Parr’s constant curiosity means unlimited potential for the wacky and weird And surrounding themselves with people who have a diversity of knowledge doesn’t hurt either “We’re working on some bioluminescent projects with a rogue biologist interested in acid manipulation,” says Bompas naming some of his intriguing collaborators “There’s also an ethnobotanist who is out in Ghana at the moment doing an Iboga ceremony he’s trying to source some rare and wondrous fruits that people in the Western world haven’t tried before And we’ve got a plasma scientist who is really interested in the implications of cooking with plasma.” The two are well on their way to becoming cultural icons For London’s New Year’s Eve 2013 celebration they created multisensory fireworks with smelling and tasting clouds of apple and bubbles filled with Seville-orange-flavored smoke and edible banana confetti we had a live audience of a quarter-million people and then the audience watching on TV sets was about 14.3 million—which in the United Kingdom was the largest viewing audience of anything that year But there are bigger events in the world and I want bigger Subscribe to our mailing list to receive the latest updates subscription deals delivered straight to your inbox founders of the British Museum of Food (https://www.bmof.org/) plan to celebrate the sunny season with their trademark exuberance in an exhibition that gives the scoop on the frozen favourite Jellymongers Bompas & Parr have been described as ‘culinary pornographers and architectural foodsmiths’ With backgrounds in marketing and architecture they are famed for their ‘joyful excess’ and delight in breaking down barriers The pair have famously cooked lava and created gin and tonic clouds that intoxicate through the lungs and eyeballs Their aim is to break people out of ‘normal museum mode’ If the Indiegogo crowdfunding target is met SCOOP will open throughout the summer holiday season It will showcase the world’s largest collection of ice-cream making equipment featuring 14,000 vintage pieces of equipment and service-ware alongside advertising and music The collection – which includes Victorian ice cream moulds and even an Andy Warhol print – has never previously been seen by the public It has been amassed over the last 40 years by Robin and Caroline Weir The Weirs are the authors of the award-winning Ice Creams Sorbets and Gelati: The Definitive Guide (Grub Street) There are a wide range of rewards on offer in exchange for pledges Pledges of £10 or more will net a ticket to SCOOP (regular price £12) a thank you card from Sam Bompas and Harry Parr and your name featured on the Patrons’ Wall of Frozen Fame Bompas & Parr are never short of imaginative ideas Other prizes include having your face made into a giant ice cream (£800) or enjoying ice cream for breakfast with Sam and Harry in five years’ time (£250) Pledges of £1,000 or more confer naming rights – to the Glow-in-the-dark Ice Cream Chamber Sam Bompas will visit your company to give a talk (plus ice cream) Suggested topics include Ode to the Stomach: An Adventure in Culinary Creativity the irreverent duo will install a giant architectonic pineapple (with naming rights) outside the exhibition The exhibition has been designed to coincide with the 300th anniversary of Mary Eales’ Receipts this was the first time ice cream had been featured in an English publication It is also the 399th anniversary of the first ice house to be built in Britain This was created by order of King James I and was built in Greenwich Park The exhibition will also provide insights into the life of Victorian ice cream doyenne She was known as Queen of Ices and was the author of several highly rated cook books She patented her own ice cream maker and was suggesting the use of liquid nitrogen to make ice cream as early as the late 1800s Heston Blumenthal has dubbed Marshall “One of the greatest culinary pioneers this country has ever seen.” Visitors to the exhibition will ‘meet’ Agnes in one section of the highly immersive and interactive theatre performance SCOOP: The Wonderful World of Ice Cream will include a range of imaginatively curated galleries There will also be a wide-ranging programme of talks Bompas & Parr are promising a range of ‘wonders’ to include real glacial ice ‘Ice cream weather’ and glow-in-the-dark ice cream are also on the cards For more information see the Indiegogo page here London ‘craft jellymongers’ to launch their new venue in Borough Market days before New York’s Museum of Food and Drink opens The world lacks a major museum about food Yet by the end of this month two ambitious venues devoted to what we eat After a decade of planning and fundraising, on 28 October a grand museum of food and drink is to open in Brooklyn, New York it sets out to redress the balance between the universal interest in food and the absence of a venue looking at food culture But before the Museum of Food and Drink (Mofad) can open its doors, London’s own new food museum will beat it to it. The British Museum of Food (BMoF), in Borough Market, plans to pip New York to the post by welcoming its first visitors five days earlier, winning the title of the world’s first food museum. “We open on 23 October, so we will be first,” boasted Sam Bompas, 36, the avant-garde chef already known for creating food installations around the capital, alongside his partner in food design, Harry Parr. “We sensed a real desire for information about food. It is so zeitgeist, we knew this was the right time.” Read moreThe American museum is aware of its British rival and boldly claims it will be tackling food commerce has argued that “while other food museums target a single issue no major museum has ever looked at food and drink writ large” London’s BMoF also aims to cover “the history and the publicity promises more: “Never before has the subject of food been explored so powerfully with a series of exhibits that align with the quirky and disruptive style of the studio’s approach to communicating food and drink coupled with the ethos and values of a serious museum.” Bompas concedes the Brooklyn team are operating “on a greater scale” “It is a provocation: the start of a debate.” by the way the Design Museum has moved from being a niche venue to something at the heart of the country’s museum establishment BMoF will cover 2,500 sq ft across two floors and is launching in collaboration with Borough Market’s managers but also to make visitors ask what food means to them the duo hope it will become a key institution even “a globally recognised national resource” able to advise government policymakers It's a provocation: the start of a debateSam BompasIts first displays will try to embody the museum’s motto of “From field to table and allow guests to take a digital journey through the body following the alimentary canal into the stomach and intestines there will also be a chocolate “wonderland” for testing tastes against different sound backgrounds as well as a selection of vintage menu cards Mofad has 5,000 sq ft to play with for its debut exhibition “There’s deeper respect and intellectual curiosity about food but there’s still a great need to deepen this understanding,” said Kim who became enthused about the museum plan when he met its founder a blogger and broadcaster who runs the department of culinary technology at the French Culinary Institute in New York’s SoHo Their museum’s first incarnation will be called Mofad Lab and run as a sort of test kitchen Kim and Arnold hope to raise tens of millions of dollars in sponsorship for a bigger venue but are avoiding corporate sponsorship from big brand food companies to safeguard their independence and reputation The Brooklyn museum’s latest tweets now describe the building as the first in New York “Maybe we can set up some collaborations and joint exhibitions,” he said ■ Spam Museum in Austin, US: closed ■ Ramen Museum in Yokohama, Japan: find your favourite ramen ■ Malomipari Muzeum of Hungary, Budapest: apparently dedicated to the grist mill industry ■ German Bratwurst Museum, Holzhausen: located at 1 Bratwurst Way ■ Mushroom Museum, Saumur, France: featuring “the troglodyte house” ■ Alimentarium, in Vevey, Switzerland: the widest food focus existing so far ■ Kimchi Museum, Seoul, South Korea: 20-minute tours ■ Melton Carnegie Museum, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire: pork pies and stilton get the full historical treatment This is the archive of The Observer up until 21/04/2025 The Observer is now owned and operated by Tortoise Media How do creatives know what they're good at? When do they find out? And when they know, what happens next? In this series, Epiphanies, we explore those questions.. Food is something we encounter day in, day out, often without paying full attention to it. This is what Sam Bompas, co-founder of Bompas & Parr wants to address by creating unique gastronomic experiences which combine amazing design Whether it’s alcoholic gin clouds, a Roald Dahl inspired dining experience or a boat trip on a tutti frutti lake together with his partner in crime Harry Parr Sam grabs your attention by making the unimaginable real As a kid I was into all kind of strange stories and fantasy novels; I lived in a very imagined realm So the reality of “becoming something” was never very pressing later on I was able to create those fantasies for real Harry by contrast knew exactly what he wanted to do He wanted to be a chef from the age of eight and then he decided to be an architect Now he does something that is kind of neither of them You can trace our current work back to both of our youths – we both succeeded in realizing our childhood dreams creating alcoholic architecture or making multi-sensory fireworks it is about giving an audience a live experience It’s about being able to build these dreams into reality Can you point out a single moment when you decided that food experiences were going to be the thing you would pursue because food experience definitely wasn’t a discipline we aspired to Very simply we wanted to have a jelly company Because we couldn’t afford the copper moulds we wanted to use we decided to produce these jellies with Harry’s architectural skills Then we started to create these stories around the food itself; narratives and experiences eventually we were creating a whole experience by designing the entire state of the project from uniforms and scripts to digital applications So it moved quite organically from having the high hopes of owning a small jelly company to a story where we envisioned these more ambitious experiences I love food which seems to come from other realms when not a lot of people know the story behind it because it has great resonance with people Jellies have these rich wobbly childhood memories we found that jelly has had a glorious history It used to be the greatest thing on the menu in the UK You can imagine it was a far cry from the stuff that you have at kids’ parties today We decided we wanted to try giving people a sense of that past and that’s how Bompas & Parr started So what were you doing before you started the jelly business Harry was a post-graduate architecture student in his final year I was working at a company called FTI consulting where I did lots of financial marketing A lot of that involved finding the most compelling story When you work with something boring like that you need to learn how to tell its story effectively After that you’ll be able to basically retell any story as you’ve proved yourself in a much harder arena Every day now is pretty exhilarating in terms of the creative process One very specific example of this is one of our early projects called the architectural jelly banquet People had no idea why all these world famous architects were spending their creative energies designing jellies The trick I learned at FTI consulting was not being afraid to pick up the phone and call people I think that’s one of the essential skills you need in the strange world of creating jelly I was just calling up anyone I could get hold of until someone said yes How do you explain to someone what you are doing for a living the most important thing is the experience that you are having rather than the physical action needed for the project We’re the protagonist in the food industry; the food can be absolutely marvellous but if the person doesn’t understand the concept at the end of the day there’s no real experience Why do you think food is the perfect tool to build such experiences so from that perspective it’s incredibly democratic It is addressing people’s animal instincts – you give people a dish and they get a very real reward from it everyone can have valid opinions about food How do you make sure that it’s more about the experience than it is about the quality of the food Similar to magicians who work with spectacle we use a strong narrative accompanied with design to create an experience in which the food is very good but is elevated by everything else that is going on For example if you have a relatively simple lasagne or if you are on a starship with laser eyes Often when you ask great chefs what their favorite meal has been very few of them say that it was a multi-course tasting meal at some Michelin star restaurant It is more often about the experience they had So that’s what we’re aiming to do – to provide people with good food by applying these principles of creating a memorable experience the duo called on designers to create contemporary interpretations Bergne's 'Tomb of the Past' features a column bent into an arch that 'acts as a doorway between past and future' it is to be built in limestone and erected in a London cemetery Ben Allen presented a 'Memorial To Lost Concentration' celebrating a time before constant media bombardment Designer Shaun Clarkson created his own mausoleum featuring a glass sculpture of his own corpse said: 'Mausoleums are particularly interesting architecturally as they are removed from the usual practicalities required for human interaction in finished buildings Other highlights include Deathlab/Latent's 'Constellation Park' a suspended urban cenotaph in which 5400 lives are remembered each year in short term shrines VIEW GOOGLE MAPS Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox. Emma O'Kelly is a freelance journalist and author based in London. Her books include Sauna: The Power of Deep Heat and she is currently working on a UK guide to wild saunas, due to be published in 2025.  you get tipsy just by breathingAlcoholic Architecture combines mixology by Amar Toor FacebookThreadsAnn Charlott OmmedalAt exactly 3 o’clock on Thursday afternoon mustachioed man in a cream tuxedo jacket emerged from a brick building behind London’s Borough Market He greeted the group of 20-somethings that had lined up behind blue velvet ropes and directed us down into what seemed like a dungeon and the spiral staircase was nearly pitch black “I feel like I’m walking to my death,” a man behind me muttered to his friends we were wearing hooded plastic ponchos and wandering around a thick others sipped cocktails out of halved human skulls People have been queueing up outside this building since the end of July, when the pop-up bar Alcoholic Architecture opened its doors to the public. Bompas & Parr the eccentric design firm that created the installation describes it as “the world’s first alcoholic weather system for your tongue” — a place where “mixology meets meteorology.” For an entrance fee of £10 (£12.50 during peak hours) visitors can spend an hour drinking potent cocktails and getting lost in “the cloud”: a small room filled with vaporized gin and tonic is the equivalent of consuming a “large drink.” The difference is that the alcohol enters the bloodstream through the lungs and eyes which means visitors can get the same buzz with 40 percent less alcohol by volume (and fewer calories) Sam Bompas and Harry Parr consulted chemists and doctors about what mixture of alcohol would be safe for the experiment and how long people could be exposed to it rather than a place for London’s club crowd to get completely wasted as well as the project’s tagline: “Breathe responsibly.” so we needed to make sure that everyone who comes through is safe,” Bompas said last week by phone from a bar in Amsterdam; coincidentally he was drinking a gin and tonic at the time Harry Parr (left) and Sam Bompas have earned a reputation for outlandish culinary creations Bompas and Parr are no strangers to sensory experiments. The duo gained international attention in 2007, when they began creating intricate structures out of jelly. Their other works include a climbing wall made out of chocolate and a bouncy castle of breasts at New York’s Museum of Sex though none are as wholly immersive as what Alcoholic Architecture offers Its current incarnation will run through early next year and slots are already booked through September Walking through the installation is like stepping into a medieval time warp — albeit one with exquisite cocktails and thumping music The Victorian building that houses Alcoholic Architecture sits directly across from the gothic Southwark Cathedral and the drinks served at the bar — Chartreuse Trappist beer — are all concoctions that the monks would have brewed The entire space has a distinctly dungeon-like feel to it with a stained-glass skeleton portrait in a far corner Audio of a monk-inspired poem plays on loop in the men’s bathroom imbibers don plastic ponchos and enter the small bar area where mixologists in white robes stand in front of an ivy-draped backdrop Some pause to order a cocktail; most head straight through plastic curtains and into an adjacent room The first few minutes in the cloud are disorienting limiting visibility to less than a meter and forcing everyone to blindly search for their bearings Muffled dance music is piped in through unseen speakers with lights alternating between neon hues of blue and pink I notice that my hands have already wrinkled from the moisture My primary concern was not bumping into any of the other imbibers and as more people flooded in from the bar Aside from a young couple canoodling on a ledge everyone was milling around in atomized friend groups moist environment is supposed to enhance taste — not only for the vaporized gin you kind of get lost in the flavor a little bit,” Bompas said you can actually taste the different botanicals expressing themselves in the gin and the flavors in the tonic water as well.” My unrefined palate didn’t pick up on those subtleties though I did feel a light buzz as the hour drew to a close with a “thunderstorm” of flashing light and noise It didn’t follow the same contours as that familiar first-drink buzz; it was more subtle and gradual cramped quarters may have exerted a placebo effect to some degree but I wasn’t the only one feeling light-headed what at first seemed like a smoke-filled crypt had morphed into a more typical club scene It seemed to be the reaction Bompas was hoping for people are always looking for a new experience and a new way to entertain their friends,” Bompas said we give them enough entertaining moments so they can have fun even on a really bad date.” Alcoholic Architecture is open through early 2016 at 1 Cathedral Street, London. Tickets are available here. Verge Video: We got drunk to test this absurd Vegas hangover cure A weekly newsletter by David Pierce designed to tell you everything you need to download, watch, read, listen to, and explore that fits in The Verge’s universe. Viewers stood clad with light-up armbands that flashed in beat to the show they were watching The different colored fireworks corresponded to different scents and tastes that were projected into the audience through peach snow strawberry smoke and floating bubbles filled with Seville orange scented smoke Food scientist Sam Bompas says it best in a quote to BBC: "We're going to actually let people taste the fireworks and you'll smell strawberry." Vodafone even helped manifest an augmented reality experience for those who couldn't find space on London's South Bank The brand's debut fireworks app went live 24 hours before the big show making it easy for people to view the display from home Picking the scents and tastes wasn't as easy as you might think the duo went on a global fruit tracking quest to find the perfect matches for the event (Never fear—they were all halal and kosher approved.) It should go without question that the event programs were most definitely scratch 'n' sniff Via PSFK Test it out; it only takes a single click to unsubscribe PENSA is an award-winning industrial design and consultancy firm that combines strategy multidisciplinary international centre for design and research with a .. Founded by an award-winning team with over 20 years of combined product design experience We're a full-service branding and creative agency DesignThink is known for generating highly effective and impactful design outcomes that generate the.. Food scientist Sam Bompas says it best in a quote to BBC: \"We're going to actually let people taste the fireworks and you'll smell strawberry.\" Vodafone even helped manifest an augmented reality experience for those who couldn't find space on London's South Bank Via PSFK Don't have an account? Join Now Already have an account? Sign In Please enter your email and we will send an email to reset your password in sync with the drink’s particular flavor notes resulting in an undulating ripple effect across the surface of the liquid ‘chaladni patterns give us the opportunity to question what sound is.‘ the duo explain ‘sound is more than a simple sensorial experience it is a pulsating and unseen multidimensional space affecting everything from the water in our cells the sensitivity of our taste buds.‘ by investigating the ways in which acoustic technology can be redefined they reveal the hidden realms of the innate connections between visual rum and coke — ‘rum and coca cola’ by the andrews sisters cosmo — ‘2001: a space odyssey’ 2001 soundtrack daiquiri — ’emotions’ by mariah carey gin sling — ‘come around’ by collie buddz martini — ‘glory and gore’ by lorde mint julep — ‘chain of fools’ by aretha franklin AXOR presents three bathroom concepts that are not merely places of function but destinations in themselves — sanctuaries of style  London studio Bompas & Parr is bringing luminescent food and flavor-changing desserts to Dubai's Expo 2020 TALK OF THE future of what we eat seems dominated by alt products: from vegan Chik’n to Mylk, cell- and plant-based foods are booming as people look to shrink their carbon footprints without giving up on the taste of meat or dairy googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("desktop-single-halfpage2"); }); But what if our food evolves through unlocking new tastes and sensations The studio says that its “Future of Food: Epochal Banquet” will introduce guests to a Museum of Food—curated by artificial intelligence—before serving them a three-course futuristic meal googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("desktop-single-halfpage3"); }); Though the tech-infused menu sounds playful, it’s still engaging with themes like food waste and sustainability—just with a cyberpunk twist. Bompas & Parr says that the experience is directly inspired by Novacene scientist James Lovelock’s book laying out a future in which new beings emerge from artificial intelligence—and comes together with us to help the Earth survive Bompas & Parr hints that the experience is more than just inspired by the book: guests will be placed at the center of a Novacene-inspired world where they can “discover if humans and AI can learn to live in harmony”—so expect some unusual dinner chat) Last year, the pair launched Benham & Froud, a spin-off company set to deliver the“Gucci of Jellies” to the front door of London’s residents. Though jelly is a by-product of industrial meat production—and an improbable item in a likely-meatless future— Bompas told WIRED UK “that doesn’t mean that while we are eating meat we shouldn’t enjoy and celebrate every single part of the animal This is exactly what gelatine does.” vegetarian guests looking to sample the duo’s foods this October needn’t worry The dining experience listed on the Expo 2020 website says that guests can opt for vegetarian or halal food which will be held throughout the six months of Expo 2020 🪩 The tech behind Taylor Swift’s concert wristbands 🤳 Are you looking for the best dumb phones in 2023 🦄 The 2023 top startups in MENA 🧀 Italian cheesemakers are putting microchips in their Parmesan 🖤 The pros and cons of tattoos 🥦 Your genes can make it easier (or harder) to be a vegetarian ✨ And be sure to follow WIRED Middle East on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn each of the botanical species have been hand painted with a thermochromatic ink the london-based duo have developed two forms of color-changing botanicals: the first is treated with a liquid crystal dye that transitions at 27 degrees celsius from a deep satin black to champagne bottle green; the second comprises a black thermochromatic dye that transforms at 31 degrees celsius, after being spritzed with bompas & parr’s perfumed crystal elixir and ignited. in the heat of the flame, the blossom changes color revealing the original pigment. the ink allows the petals and leaves to alter in hue as temperature fluctuates around them drawing inspiration from the ‘fin-de-siècle’ (end of the century) french decadence movement, the installation references the bejeweled interiors of 1890s parisian salons. atmospheric features include dreamlike video art, technical lighting, perfumed crystal fluids infused with stones, and a choreographed playlist that becomes more psychedelic as the day progresses. a liquid crystal dye transitions from a deep satin black to champagne bottle green additionally, the interior scheme is inspired by the huge greenhouses constructed in 1852 by charles perrier — a site of constant horticultural innovation with scores of exotic flowers and rare plants, including over 300 varieties of orchid.  a black dye transforms after being spritzed with bompas & parr’s perfumed crystal elixir and ignited in the heat of the flame, the blossom changes color revealing the original pigment the flowers will be presented at ‘fleurs des rêves’, an exotic flower shop held in the basement of the london edition  the ritual of giving a bouquet becomes a total sensory onslaught happening now! partnering with antonio citterio, AXOR presents three bathroom concepts that are not merely places of function, but destinations in themselves — sanctuaries of style, context, and personal expression. Reading"Sam Bompas tells us why..." More fromOpinion Contact Advertising Opportunities Newsletters Insights + Opinion Creatives + Projects Advice + Resources Culture + Lifestyle Nicer Tuesdays The View From... POV Forward Thinking Review of the Year Jenny Brewer Olivia Hingley Ellis Tree Elizabeth Goodspeed Liz Gorny Extra Search and Bompas & Parr teamed up to judge a competition for a new interactive installation titled The Imminent Diorama the installation will allow the public to take in one of finest unprotected views now Sam Bompas tells It’s Nice That why protecting London’s skyline is more important than ever but it is so much more than a collection of individual buildings we recognised that for a building to remain iconic – to remain symbolic of something greater than a building – it had to remain visible _The Imminent Diorama_ is a playful project with a serious intent: to get more of the city’s sight lines protected by casting our gazes into the future through the lens one of South London’s best unprotected views Views are a form of public space – they add to our quality of life without demanding payment for their consumption St Paul’s is at the centre of many of London’s most treasured historic views and protecting these sight lines helps preserve the city’s character as tastes in architecture change and progress expresses itself in different ways They provide a system of checks and balances that challenge architects designers and developers to create new buildings that are truly worthy of a city that has historically been low-rise and gloriously chaotic There are 27 views with some of formal recognised status in London but only 13 are classified as Protected Vistas – nine of the city from the north and four from the south While new buildings in the City of London and the West End come under a lot of scrutiny it sometimes seems like developers can get away with just about anything As high rise cities become increasingly ubiquitous and the demand for property becomes more intense London’s unique character is under pressure architect and surveyor to St Paul’s Cathedral first proposed protecting views of the city 80 years ago brings together eight visions for the future of London from very different designers the housing crisis has transformed the skyline with tall buildings spreading into the outer boroughs where densification has made space for new sprawling parks and contemporary architecture and ideas are more important than the preserving the city of yesteryear takes a more dystopian view of a city under water Radically transforming the geography of the city all that is left of the centre is the tips of structures dotted along the horizon Agustin Coll and Duncan Catterall also engage with the implications of climate change envisioning London transformed into a tropical holiday resort and into a densely populated city tinted organ thanks to sand pulled into the atmosphere by violent weather – a vision not completely unfamiliar thanks to the recent effects of Hurricane Ophelia Design Haus Liberty proposes a new layer of London up in the air with buildings arranged to spotlight existing protected views in a landscape of parks and high rises while David Bray envisions a future where the city is covered in smog and only the extravagant homes and playgrounds of the rich – built on platforms high above the city where the restrictions of today are no longer relevant –are visible from the Horniman Examining the implications of the rise of digital space Collective Works LLP asks viewers to consider what it might be like to have to pay for a view through an app and Lee Playle with Scamp Factory propose an interactive umbrella covering the city to both protect it from electrical storms and feed the city’s thirst for consumerism By leafing through these different visions with the real view of the city laid out in front of them we hope visitors will see how important the skyline really is to London’s character and its future This is part of a wider initiative from the National Trust examining the importance of urban views and the role of design in supporting the city as it evolves Members of the public are being invited to share their thoughts on protecting more views and these will be submitted to the Mayor of London as part of the consultation on the new London Plan so could have a major impact on the future skyline of the city London’s protected views are considered an obstacle to progress – an issue to be worked around But the tension between protection and development should actually be seen as an opportunity by designers to push themselves harder These tensions are beautiful for designers They contribute to the creation of a really strong editing process and challenge us to create something that can justify its existence but we do need to recognise that what we build now will exist for years to come and its impact on the way London views itself will be long lasting The Shard is an example of an iconic building that justifies an exception to a rule – a structure that contributes to London and engages on the global stage But do we want another 20 Shards in London It’s important for us as designers to create the opportunities for people to engage with these ideas in their own way That’s why we wanted to be quite playful with the city we can either make it happen or take it as a warning of what might be possible if we don’t stop and reconsider This project is a provocation for the latter The Imminent Diorama will be at The Horniman Museum and Gardens from 13 – 26 November and is free to visit www.bompasandparr.com www.horniman.ac.uk Sam Bompas Fancy a bit of It's Nice That in your inbox Sign up to our newsletters and we'll keep you in the loop with everything good going on in the creative world Instagram TikTok LinkedIn Facebook Twitter Pinterest About Careers at It’s Nice That Privacy Policy Insights Residence Creative Lives in Progress If You Could Jobs © It’s Nice That 2024 · Nice Face Logo © It’s Nice That www.bompasandparr.com www.horniman.ac.uk We speak to the dream team about their blend of playfulness Bringing print off the page and into all kinds of imaginative formats this small press is inspired by the local vernacular male-dominated ritual in which performers climb a 30-metre pole and spin into the air In preparation for his archive show in London we caught up with the artist to uncover some of the stories behind his most renowned letterpress prints and to celebrate the birth of the poster and manifesto that has come to define his career About Contact Advertising Opportunities Newsletters Insights + Opinion Creatives + Projects Advice + Resources Culture + Lifestyle Nicer Tuesdays The View From... POV Forward Thinking Review of the Year Jenny Brewer Olivia Hingley Ellis Tree Elizabeth Goodspeed Liz Gorny Instagram TikTok LinkedIn Facebook Twitter Pinterest Careers at It’s Nice That Privacy Policy Insights Residence Creative Lives in Progress If You Could Jobs While the cake's mallows are far from traditional, the tiered design is quintessentially British. "Way back, an enterprising baker looked at the beautiful tiered steeple of St Bride's church just off Fleet Street and decided to make wedding cakes in that shape. We just decided to get architectural in scale, too!" Apparently, marshmallows were the food of royalty in ancient Egypt. This is the ultimate recipe. You need a baking tray about 30cm x 50cm with a little bit of depth. Make sure it is greased really thoroughly but not lumpily, then sieve icing sugar very generously over the whole thing. If there is a tiny patch without icing sugar the marshmallow will stick. Put the powdered gelatine and 120ml of water in a mixing bowl and leave for 10 minutes. Put the glucose syrup, the rest of the water and the caster sugar in a good-sized pan and put it on the highest heat possible. Monitor the pan with a sugar thermometer, heating to 240F. Meanwhile, check that the gelatine has all come into contact with the water. You can also add several drops of food colour (because the marshmallow will be naturally white the colour will never get beyond pastel, so adding more is probably pointless). When the boiling sugar solution gets to 240F, turn off the heat, start the mixer (on the lowest speed) and pour the contents of the pan into it . Being careful of splashes, gradually turn up the speed to full speed. As the mixture cools, it thickens. It takes up to about 10 minutes for the mallow to reach full fluffiness and stop increasing in size. At that point, add flavouring: a teaspoon of liqueur de violette will do the trick but you can add whatever you like. Add a pinch of salt too. Whisk in the flavour for another minute or two; check the taste. Then (if not too hot or runny) pour and spatula the mixture into your baking tray and leave it in a safe place for up to 16 hours. When ready, cut the mallow into pieces with lots of sieveable icing sugar to hand. It will be required for every severed surface. This is the archive of The Observer up until 21/04/2025. The Observer is now owned and operated by Tortoise Media. Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. Reading"Bompas & Parr's ice cream..." More fromNews Back in August, before the skies turned grey, the temperature dropped, and we all frantically searched for our favourite winter-ready coat, we brought you the news that food art fanatics Bompas & Parr were announcing a design competition to create three-dimensional ice cream moulds for London Design Festival Its search for the tastiest iced treats saw Bompas & Parr cast a global gaze at current trends in experimental ice creams and today it has revealed the three winners each of whom will see their design turned into one-off ice cream moulds For one day only — Thursday 20 September 2018 — they designs will also be available to buy as part of the British Museum of Food’s Scoop: A Wonderful Ice Cream World exhibition overall winner Sally Reynolds’ mould has taken inspiration from Roman classical sculpture second place Estela Gless looked toward a Mexican thirst-quenching treat for her design and bronze medalist Michele Menescardi’s entry is modelled on a bubble-producing bar of soap We’re a long way from a Mr Whippy with a dessicated Flake slung in it Sally’s ice cream — which comes in rose masala chai flavour — has been described as “a state-of-the-art ice cream a beautiful sculptural piece with a very thoughtful concept that evokes the lavish and lustful days of Ancient Rome in every bite,” by judge Gonzalo Herrero Delicado Anyone intending to eat their way through the winning selections should remember that you aren’t getting raspberry ripple here Michele’s design has been paired with a pineapple and lemon concoction that’s inspired by a fruit-salad and the ancient Arabic tradition of sweets and culinary art “Turkish-Dondurma-Elastic Cherry” that comes with candied ginger and poppy seeds These bespoke creations are available to eat for one day only but Scoop runs until 30 September at Gasholder 11 Further Infowww.bompasandparr.com Josh Baines Josh Baines joined It's Nice That from July 2018 to July 2019 as News Editor www.bompasandparr.com Back in August, before the skies turned grey, the temperature dropped, and we all frantically searched for our favourite winter-ready coat, we brought you the news that food art fanatics Bompas & Parr were announcing a design competition to create three-dimensional ice cream moulds for London Design Festival a BBQ like you’ve never seen before: london-based creative duo bompas & parr has staged a cook out on an artificial volcano and within a high voltage laboratory searing their steaks in seconds with lava and lightning for their ‘cooking with lava’ project bompas & parr use 2,100°F molten hot liquid together with help of professor robert wysock at syracuse university in new york (whose particular expertise lies in creating streams of man-made lava) the team fired up an industrial bronze furnace beside an icy crevasse using a traditional grilling surface laid on top of the tunnel walls bompas & parr were able to situate 2 steaks and 2 cobs of corn just above the fiery liquified matter whose ultra-hot properties nearly instantly roasted the raw meat and veggies see what happens when the liquid rock meets a a 10 oz ribeye in the video B&P cook outvideo courtesy of robert wysocki a raw ribeye sits on top of a traditional grilling surface molten hot lava pours down the tunnel ramp the team watches their experiment take place that’s the temperature a bolt of lightening can reach as it passes through air at five times hotter than the surface of the sun the super-hot conditions only ignited bompas & parr’s creativity urging them to use the fiery matter as a cooking medium at the university of southampton’s tony davies high voltage laboratory bompas & parr worked with scientists to generate an alternating current through a transformer creating a 200,000 volt electrical arc within an 8 inch gap steaks were placed into the path of the bolt ‘the recipe came to me in a dream,’ sam bompas describes ‘perhaps in the future lightning will find its way into every imaginable culinary situation.’ an alternating current created through a transformer