Why do crisps with a louder crunch taste fresher? And why does Rachmaninoff make wine taste fruitier? The idea that we ‘eat with our eyes’ and the importance of food presentation is common knowledge in kitchens and restaurants around the world - but what about the names of the food on the menu? The sounds you hear when you eat? Or even the music being played whilst you dine?
Join us for a fascinating evening with experimental psychologist, Professor Charles Spence, as he takes us on a synaesthetic journey into the world of Gastrophysics. Charles specialises in neuroscience-inspired multi-sensory design and with his Ignobel Prize winning research on the ‘Sonic Chip’ will prove to us that what you hear, and listen to, when eating, will really change what you taste.
PROF.Charles Spence
Professor Charles Spence is an experimental psychologist at the University of Oxford. He established the Crossmodal Research Laboratory (CRL) in 1997 and has collaborated with baristas, mixologists, chocolatiers and chefs across the globe, designing foods and beverages that maximally stimulate the senses.
Inspired by the early 20th century Italian futurist, Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, Charles has worked extensively with the world-famous chef, Heston Blumenthal, at The Fat Duck restaurant in Bray, focusing on how technology can transform dining and drinking experiences (the aptly named ‘The Sound of the Sea’ involves diners listening to a seaside soundtrack via a pair of iPod earbuds inside a seashell on the table).
Charles has also worked with a children’s cancer hospital outside Barcelona, changing the packaging and presentation of hospital food in order to make mealtimes more fun and improve the kids’ well-being and recovery.
Prof Charles Spence has published over 1,100 academic articles and edited or authored, 16 books including the Prose prize-winning 'The Perfect Meal', and the international bestseller ‘ Gastrophysics: The New Science of Eating’. His latest book ‘Sensehacking' was published in 2021. Both books will be available for purchase on the night and Charles will be available to sign copies at the end of the event.
DOORS OPEN: 7pm
TALK STARTS: 7:30pm
AUDIENCE Q&A: 8:45pm
BOOK SIGNING: 9:15pm
Brighthink is a non-profit organisation, non of our invited speakers charge for their time, and proceeds from ticket sales go towards the running costs that allow us to put on these events for the public.