This year at Art Basel in Miami, Superblue and Meta are combining forces to launch a food tasting experience that uses virtual reality headsets. In the experience, dubbed “Aerobanquets RMX,” participants will don Meta Quest 2 headsets to see the textures and flavors of the food rendered in virtual reality. But they will taste the food in real life.
To create the experience, Superblue has partnered with Aerobanquets founder Mattia Casalegno, chef Chintan Pandya, and Top Chef judge Gail Simmons. Casalegno, an interdisplinary artist, was responsible for the VR art in the experience, while Pandya cooks the food participants eat and Simmons narrates the virtual reality part of the experience.
Casalegno has stated that the inspiration for the mixed reality experience is Filippo Tommaso Marinetti’s Futurist Cookbook, published in 1932. That book imagines the future of food in a utopian setting, and the descriptions of the food in “Aerobanquets RMX” seem to echo that. There is a “mousse of roasted hopes” and a “pearl” which tastes like the first time “you bit your lip,” among others.
Those interested in taking part in the experience have the option of a “standard” experience and a “VIP” experience. The standard experience costs $58 per person, runs 30 minutes long, and features five “bites.” The VIP experience costs $200 per person, lasts one hour, and features 10 bites.
The experience will take place between November 28th and December 4th at the Superblue art installation warehouse. Superblue has the reputation for hosting interesting exhibitions at its warehouse, including those that merge art and technology. That it would do so for Art Basel as well is perhaps no surprise.
VR Experiences Becoming More Popular
Although virtual reality is still a niche within the technology world, VR experiences have become more popular this year. At Rarity Sniper, we have written several stories about companies launching VR experiences to try to capitalize on this new technology. Here are three.
First, five months ago, Fender and MINI, a BMW company, partnered with Meta to bring VR experiences to Horizon Worlds. The experiences involved a complex arrangement of movement and sound, complete with allusions to those companies’ core businesses: music and driving.
Next, six months ago, Airbus, a multination aerospace company, revealed that it was using VR headset technology to sell luxury jets. Through the VR technology, customers could add tables, rearrange walls, and even design the perfect window seat.
Lastly, seven months ago, Disney teamed up with Meta to launch a Star Wars VR experience. The VR experience took place at the Black Spire Outpost in Batuu, where users were able to take part in an “action-adventure” story.
Superblue’s mixed reality food tasting experience will surely intrigue some Art Basel goers. There’s no doubt, as well, that it will push the boundaries of art and technology. Here at Rarity Sniper, we’ll keep our ears to the ground for further developments in the story.