Sunday 28 November 2010

Love Fun? Yes! Love food? Yes! Meet Bompas and Parr!

I recently came across these people and am determined to get them down to Plymouth for an event.

Even if you haven't heard of the brilliantly named Bompas and Parr, you may well be familiar with their work as they provided consultancy for food scientist Heston Blumenthal's recent series, Feast.

As well as creating food on an architectural scale (think glowing jelly sculptures, caves made of sugar, a building flooded with cocktail) they are passionate about taste, and design fun, informative events aimed at exploring how taste is affected by our other senses. Past projects include a scratch and sniff cinema event, a chewing gum factory where visitors could make their own gum from 40,000 flavour combinations, a breathable cocktail,power trifles, underwater courses and a musical banquet. Think of them as real-life Willy Wonkas.

Imagine negotiating your way through a giant pyramid, inhaling vapourised fruit that actually contributes to your five-a-day, and then reaching the summit to discover the way out is a slide. Well, they did that. If only every meal could be like that...

Their latest creation is a Taste-O-Rama showing of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, where viewers eat snacks at key points of the film to experience the same foods as the characters, such as cricket canapes and chilled monkey brains (don't panic, it's a korma blancmange) after taking a special tour of the secret underground tunnels of Welbeck Abbey in Nottinghamshire. All this, for an accessible-to-everyone ticket price of £7.50 (although not surprisingly it has now sold out).

I've become obsessed with Bompas and Parr so I'm definitely going to be talking about them a lot more - deal with it. Click here to see more of their work and if, like me, you want them to bring one of their projects to our glorious Plymouth, leave some comments below. Let's DO THIS.

11 comments:

  1. My suggestion: A Murder, She Wrote themed whodunnit event... Set on Drake's Island.

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  2. I totally agree, that would be amazing. Love Mrs B X

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  3. Sarah Jane Northmore28 November 2010 at 12:20

    Since my two favourite things in the world are food and the performing arts i've just got 10/10 excited about this. You know all the coolest stuff Ems.

    Get them here immediately and i'll step up my diet so i can have a day 'off' to participate!

    xxx hope your arm is feeling better xxxx

    Sarah Jane Northmore xxxx

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  4. Thanks for the comments girls. I think we're going to need more than the three of us to get them down here. Who's with us?!

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  5. Don't get me wrong - a party with the three of us would be IMMENSE, but I'm not sure it would be financially viable.

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  6. I am defo up for this. Sounds fab!
    Sam x

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  7. Excellent! That's at least four of us...

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  8. As long as there are no suprise bananas!!!ha ha, sounds so interesting. I'd love to eat my way around the world without actually moving. Can they do that for me? Get them down here Em!!!
    C x

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  9. p.s love the Drakes Island idea, what about seafood evening at the aquarium or is that a bit sick?????
    Cx

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  10. I'm there.. sounds heavenly! xx

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  11. How about crownhill fort? or the citadel? or smeatons tower? or out on the breakwater/mount batten? or the museum? or somewhere in the university? or burgh island? Pounds house? Plymouth Argyle? lol xx

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