For 3 days this March experimental food pioneers Blanch and Shock (earlier) are producing a 5 course dinner called the Brain Banquet, taking place within a derelict bunker in Dalston, E8. The food will be amazing, and beyond that you have installations about the brain to explore, plus scientists to explain and discuss elements of the mind throughout the evening. Even more intriguingly the instructions say to dress in warm clothing, and with waterproof footwear...
"Feast your senses this coming March on the most complex thing in the universe: the human brain.
From March 13 -15, Guerilla Science will transform a surviving World War Two bomb shelter into a Brain Banquet, a unique 3-day pop up dining event taking place in Dalston, East London. The derelict bunker will become a temporary world where guests will enter into an incarnation of the brain to explore with all their senses. A limited number of tickets will be available each night, featuring a five-course dining experience created by food designers Blanch & Shock.
"The brain is an endlessly intriguing subject and this is the perfect opportunity to bring food and neuroscience together,” says Guerilla Science Director Jen Wong.
“We are fascinated by the peculiar ways in which memory, perception and association alter how we experience food,” says Josh Pollen, from Blanch & Shock. The banquet will explore a variety of functions of the brain, ranging from memory and smell, synaesthesia (a condition where two senses are entwined), delve into the chemistry of the brain, and explore the aesthetics of the cerebral cortex. For daring diners, it will culminate with the serving of real brains. “Guerilla Science make it possible for people to access knowledge normally confined to laboratories,” says Pollen. “As cooks and designers with no formal scientific background, we have had the privilege of meeting with neuroscientists and surgeons who have given us insights into the functions of the brain.”
Eminent scientists will accompany the meal to discuss different facets of the mind: Dr Felicity Callard of the University of Durham will join Dr Daniel S. Margulies of the Max Planck Institute for Human and Cognitive Brain Sciences to uncover the brain’s networks and how these relate to creativity. Neuroscientist Professor Anil Seth of the Sackler Centre of Consciousness Science at the University of Sussex will reveal what science can (and cannot) tell us about consciousness. And neuropsychologist Dr Vaughan Bell of King’s College London will discuss what happens when the mind deceives us: hallucinations and delusions.
There will be five installations for the public to explore in the lead up to the banquet. In the Memory Clinic, a maze of test tubes designed by Broqwiem in collaboration with Guerilla Science, guests can share their memories. Another room will house a giant brain created by artist Agatha Haines which explores the possibilities of creativity through unorthodox brain stimulation. The Sonic Tour of the Brain will reveal what the brain sounds like. Preserved animal brains and heads on loan from the Royal Veterinary College will illustrate the evolution of the mind. A roaming magician will serve up visual illusions as mental aperitifs.
“The multi-chambered bunker provides a unique and atmospheric setting”, explains Guerilla Science Director Jen Wong. “The association of bunkers with protection and defence and a command and control centre lies behind our interpretation of the space as a ‘brain’.”"
When - Thursday 13th - Saturday 15th March, 6.30pm - 10pm
Where - The Dalston Bunker, Abbot Street, Dalston, E8 3DP
Get more events like this
I have created a weekly newsletter to feature news about all of the latest and best pop-up and temporary things in London. Please sign up below!
No comments:
Post a Comment