Nomination
Journey on the Tongue is a totally new taste and sound installation which invites you on a spectacular multi-sensory journey. Realized by the three artists Ayako Suwa, the pursuer of “Expressive food,” sound artist Evala, the founder of “See by Your Ears,” and media artist Yasuaki Kakehi, who explores new haptic experiences. This work is a new perception of sound and taste.
In your mouth, on your tongue, you will taste a sound experience of the journey to the various destinations. When you wear earplugs to cancel extraneous sounds and put a candy “Taste of Journey” in your mouth, the journey starts with sounds vibration. Then you can hear the sounds clearly inside your body. Though you close your eyes and ears, the experience evokes various dreamscapes via the multiple sensations of sound, touch, and flavor. Everything synthesizes in the mouth to provide a sense of time passing and spatial movement.
The journey starts by selecting one aroma from the twelve scents blended especially for the exhibition. This aroma becomes the compass that guides guests to their destinations as they taste a candy which has several layers of tastes and textures in harmony with the fragrance and sounds. A vibration actuator expresses a soundscape by Evala in your mouth through your bone conduction. Then you leave on a spatial journey via tasting and hearing. It all depends on you. It can seem like a long journey that takes many years or a few hours, even though the experience only lasts 4 minutes.
This invisible experience is a challenge for people of today who place disproportionate emphasis on what we can see.
Credits
Director, Taste & Aroma: Ayako Suwa
Sound & composition: Evala (See by Your Ears)
Tactile device: Yasuaki Kakehi
Supported by LEXUS
Special thanks: DENTSU LIVE inc., Nihon Firmenich K.K.
Ayako Suwa started the works of “food creation” in 2006 after graduating from Kanazawa College of Art. Creating food as art that explores the human instincts of desire, curiosity, and evolution, she presents new values for food that are neither gourmet tastes, nutrition, nor an energy source.
Evala is a sound artist and musician. He shows the spatial and immersive music experience in his original project “See by Your Ears.” He has been creating edgy works of electronic music and exploring music experience with the use of 3D sound systems as new instruments.
Yasuaki Kakehi is an HCI researcher and media artist. Associate Professor of the Interfaculty Initiative in Information Studies, The University of Tokyo. He received his PhD from the University of Tokyo. He has created interactive works that augment our experiences in the physical environment richly with the combination of digital technologies and physical materials.