charles’ fuguean interdisciplinary experience in one semester

the arrival

food

I entered Matthew Strong’s Senior Project class determined to construct

a project around food branding.

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chocolate

I was passionate about my first proposal, a line of healthy candy

comprised of ingredients such as vegetables, grains, and sugar substitutes.

I wanted to make various chocolates, hard candies, fruit snacks, spreads,

and ice creams from scratch.

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“new ways of presenting common things”

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ancient beauty treatments

I settled on a fictional brand of beauty products stemming from ancient

treatments, including crocodile dung, snail slime, seaweed, and spices.

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“how can it be more meaningful?”

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back to food: food beauty treatments, beauty care recipe book, edible

beauty treatments, beauty restaurant...

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other interests: board game writing fears/phobias perception loneliness happiness unconventional packaging

habits niche areas of NY survivals superstitions patterns cooking exotic flavors edible packaging hydroponics

aquaponics aeroponics inhalable food clothing fabric listmaking organization/time management hiding

ghosts/paranormal desire walking horoscopes personalities/temperaments dreams

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unique food inventions

a Google search turned up an article about sound influencing taste.

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charles’ fugue

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I began my researching studying the link between sound and taste. I

found that different pitches can bring out different qualities in food.

For example, high pitched noise makes food seem sweeter, while low

pitched noise makes the same food seem more bitter. This can easily

be observed with chocolate, a flavor that can exhibit both qualities.

Furthermore, louder noise increases the perception of crunch while

decreasing the ability to perceive taste at all, and (unsurprisingly)

food is more pleasant if eaten while listening to enjoyable music.

I was excited about the prospect of creating an experience surrounding

sonic dining.

As I continued my investigation, I discovered the concept of multi-

sensory dining. While the link between sound and taste was intriguing,

it was not the only parallel. All five senses are closely linked with

taste. Smell is actually stimulated through both the nostrils and the

esophagus. Flavor qualities are associated with color and aesthetic.

Temperature and texture can affect taste intensity and enjoyability.

These new findings shifted my project to a dining experience in all

five senses that was meant to explore their interconnections and

influences on taste.

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the research

After an intense study period, I organized all of my research into an

overview to help guide the project.

sound

high pitch – sweeter

low pitch – more bitter

louder – crunchier

quieter – more flavorful

environmental sounds –

enhance or diminish flavor

touch

soft – more flavorful

warm – more flavorful

more viscous – more flavorful

umami

fifth taste – savory

parmesan, tomato, mushroom

airplane tomato-based drinks

sight

influences appeal

creates expectation

elicits memories

smell

collected through nostrils

and esophagus

contributes to 75–95%

of taste

taste

minimal distractions

heighten taste

perception

biological responses,

natural reactions

recollections of past

experiences

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audience

foodies, adventurous, risk takers

wealthy, appreciate a splurge

appreciate fine dining

appreciate food beyond taste

interested in unique

experiences, break from the norm

location

New York, Chelsea, Hell’s

Kitchen, area of high quality

dining and diverse crowds

“Our goal is to increase awareness of the interplay of the five senses and their role in comprehension of human experience, particularly pertaining to dining. We aim to evoke appreciation for the tremendous impact of sensory stimulants on the perception of flavor and the pleasure of food.”

environment

dark, minimal, focus attention

on food and senses

hip, current

mysterious, discovery

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the name

The title of the project needed to reflect all five senses and express

intermixing, perception, and experience. Single word names like

“Synapse” and “Aurality” sounded empty, and word combinations

like “Overature Saveur” seemed gimmicky. I was searching for a natural

name, one that did not feel forced, and one that evoked comfort in

high quality food coupled with mystery of an unknown experience.

Finally I setted on “Charles’ Fugue.” I was attracted to a name in the

title as it evoked a personal experience and a deliberate origin. I pulled

the first name of Charles’ Spence, an Oxford University professor

and a leading researcher in the field of multisensory experiences

and crossmodal technology, whose name emerged numerous times

across my research. Although “fugue” is a musical term, it perfectly

connoted my theme, officially defined as “a short melody introduced

by one part, successively taken up by others to develop an inter-

weaving of parts.” Charles’ Fugue is a meal introduced by one sense,

successfully provoking others to develop a sensory fusion and a

realization of the influences on taste perception.

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the mark

Similarly to the name, the identity mark needed to indicate perception

of a sensory experience. I experimented with marks inspired by five

senses, food symbols, sensory insinuations, perception and illusion,

and mystery.

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My sketches led to three resolutions.

This pentagon-inspired swirl kept my attention first. It indicates a

chase, one sense coming from another and leading to another, with

everything culminating in a full circle. It also communicates revolution

around a central part, and an open center suggests a welcome.

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After sketching some interweaving swirls, I became confident in this

elegant mark. I then spent hours creating a smooth and perfectly

symmetrical five pointed embellishment. Similarly to my first concept,

it implies parts leading into each other and culminating in a full circle,

and it utilizes five sections for five senses. Its single interweaving

line loops to make connections ahead and behind, indicative of Charles’

Fugue’s theme. It suggests a long journey, as the restaurant is a

comprehensive experience.

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The fork was not originally a direction I considered pursuing, but

after several positive critiques and pieces of advice, I decided to

explore the concept. On the surface, crossing out the fork creates a

completed tally, expressing the five senses. Additionally, negating a

symbol of food expresses that Charles’ Fugue is not actually entirely

about food; it is really about the senses. The rough, hand drawn

stylization contributes to an organic feeling associated with food,

as well as a feeling of mystery and curiosity in imperfection.

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decided pentagon swirl was the way to go

Criticizm indicated that it was a bit feminine and perhaps looked too

much like an aperature.

became really confident in interweaving loop embellishment

Comments suggested that it might be too upscale and elegant for

a modern, mysterious experience. To address these concerns, I

considered it hand drawn or displayed in a bright color.

back to swirl

It seemed to satisfy all needs.

fork glimmered as an option

The fork mark received very positive feedback. It conveyed a hip and

mysterious dining experience and was unique and eyecatching.

the decision

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back to loop

I was just so happy with the way it turned out.

but but butwell well well

considered fork

Maybe I was hesitant about a hand drawn element.

considered fork again

The fork truly conveyed a much better sense of mystery and wonder.

but it was so pretty and also took forever to make

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In the end, the fork prevailed. Upon asking the preference of several

friends, the most excited reactions were towards this mark. One friend

even expressed her fondness of it before I even began to explain it. I

decided this seemed fairly telling of the most effective mark. After

coming to this conclusion, I realized how fitting the negated fork truly

was of Charles’ Fugue’s message. It showed food and five and an alter-

nate meaning, and it carried underlying tones of riddle and mystery.

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the type

Now that Charles’ Fugue had a mark, I needed to illustrate its

textual component.

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Spent countless hours refining this hand drawn type.

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Whipped this up and realized it was perfect.

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This completed mark epitomized the voice of Charles’ Fugue and

delivered all themes of mystery and hidden meaning that I wanted

to maintain in the project. Now onto the full experience.

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round 2

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the menu

The meal would consist of five courses, one for each of the five senses,

and would include additional sensory stimulants, such as scents or

textures, to enhance each dish. I began the menu design with elegance

in mind. My first thoughts were to create a booklet for the diner to

experience as if reading a novel. This would encapsulate a step by

step experience, a journey. The first mockups were variations of

books with different degrees of information revealed, different sizes

and papers, different closure methods, and different typographic

layouts. I explored different textured materials to maintain the idea

of different senses.

Unfortunately I still felt a lack of direction in all of these explorations.

“Novel” was not a strong enough concept to promote any solid

design decisions.

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I revised my menu concept. The idea of a journey was strong so I

explored new, inventive, unexpected menu presentations through

three different concepts.

My first idea was to choose your own adventure book. Every possible

course would be included in the menu, which the diner would keep

for the duration of the meal. A page would prompt the diner to choose

a course and turn to a specific page for instructions on how to eat the

meal and explanations of how the senses are affected. He or she

would continue this process for each of the following courses.

The second concept was to provide separate menus for each course.

The dishes would not be obvious or explained but would be complete

mysteries, titled things like “chill,” “texturize,” or “add” based on the

theme of the dish.

My third and favorite idea was to offer three predetermined five course

meals. The diner would choose a meal based on a theme, without

knowing what dishes would be served. Each dish would come with

an instruction card to explain how to use the sensory stimulants while

eating the food. After the meal, the diner would receive a booklet

explaining how and why the experiences happened.

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Moving forward with the predetermined meals, I titled them after

composers that have written famous fugues of differing moods. I

created symbols for each of the senses and for each individual dish.

My first attempts at creating the menu elements used wood burning,

a technique that apparently takes years of skill and did not yield

anything close to the elegance of Charles’ Fugue, so I turned to the

trusted laser cutter.

Simply engraving the text onto the teal paper did not yield enough of

a difference, so I used a xyron machine to adhere the teal paper to

bristol, then the laser cutter to engrave deeply through the teal paper

but not through the bristol; this way the bowls and counters in the

letters could remain.

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Upon sitting down at the table, the diner chooses Bach, Beethoven, or

Pachelbel, predetermined five course meals.

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Each course includes a sensory stimulant to alter the perceived flavor or

enjoyability of the food. Instructional cards are provided to guide the diner

through using or noticing the additions.

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After the experience, the diner receives a booklet specific to his or her

chosen meal. The booklet explains each dish and its surprises in detail to

help the diner further understand multisensory dining.

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touch

temperature

texture

texture alteration

scent

addition

intermixing

perception

taste

umami-rich

sight

judgment

negativity

expectation

sound

pitch

mood

volume

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Next came presentation of the menu. To simply set the instructional

cards on the table was too carefree, so I wanted to invent an easel to

support them as they were changed in and out. This still seemed too

disconnected from the meal, so I created a serving platter that housed

a plate along with the instructional menu cards. The palate cleansers

(water and lemon sorbet) received their own tray, as they would

remain on the table for the duration of the meal.

Initially, I wanted to use light colored wood to maintain texture and

organics. I left the wood natural and unstained, only sanded, but

critique suggested that the white plate was absorbed by the lightness

of the tray so I resorted to a light stain. This was a pleasant decision

as it emphasized the dishes nicely and upped the elegance and

perceived quality of the meal.

The tray is present on the table as the diner is seated. It remains on the

table for the duration of the meal. The plate and instruction cards are

changed in and out for each course.

The water is present on its tray for the duration of the meal. The sorbet

serving spoon remains and is filled with a bite of sorbet before each

course is served.

the place setting

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I was challenged to design a package for the third part of the menu,

the informational takeaway booklet. Creating a bag or box for one

small book seemed pointless to me, so I decided to expand the

takeaway gift. Examining other restaurants, most give their diners

chocolates or candies at the end of a meal. I resolved to carry the

multisensory dining experience to candies and to create a do-it-your-

self book. Guests could continue the experience after leaving Charles’

Fugue and better understand and experiment with sensory overlaps

hands-on if they desired.

the takeaway

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The box itself went through different incorporations of envelopes,

flaps, and closures. I settled on a thin wooden box with a sliding lid

to emphasize a reveal, mimicking the gradual disovery over the

course of the meals.

As I have never been anything close to a savvy woodworker, I began

the design with carefully measured cardboard models, Adobe Illustrator

files, and one box with pieces that didn’t fit together. I also discovered

the unfortunate reality that stain does not cover wood glue.

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After the meal, the diner receives a box to remember and reignite the

experience. Sliding the lid upwards slowly reveals sensory candies—soft

taffy with bubble wrap, flavor-altering berries, and white chocolate

colored dark—and then the takeaway book. Under the book, a wooden

flap lifts up to reveal a DIY book of experiments to revisit multisensory

food experiences.

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Since Charles’ Fugue focused on the senses, I knew I needed to

enact at least one experience. The first course of the Bach meal was

decided as creamy butternut squash soup served with a textured

spoon. Textured silverware was undoubtedly odd, uncommon, and

intriguing. I thought that sandblasting a spoon would leave it with a

gritty texture and took advantage of Pratt’s jewelry studio, but the

result was actually a very smooth spoon that looked like the shell of

a Macbook. Luckily the students in the metal shop were super kind

and willing to a use frightening-looking tool called a needle scaler

(terrifying) to smash divots on the spoon.

finishing touches

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I designed a bill and receipt, as well. What started as a nicely laid

out single sheet evolved into a small booklet, a keepsake to conclude

the meal.

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This project was created—conceptualized, designed, and constructed—

by Alyssa Phillips during the Fall 2014 semester at Pratt Institute.