CharlesMichel

[michelcharles]

#Crossmodalism or the art of loving science. Scientists, artists and a bunch of cool people talking about the senses at #FoodMattersLive #food #xmodal #experiencedesign (en ExCeL London)

[michelcharles]

Yesterday, first event of FEED: Food Education Experience Design. Beautiful day of talks and experiences around the Poetics of Food. Generosity, meaning and pleasure; food is the place where people come together. Great to see so much enthusiasm amongst speakers and guests! (en Ace Hotel London Shoreditch)

[michelcharles]

While cutlery is present in tables all around the world, we rarely think about it as something that can influence deliciousness. In a recent study published on Flavour Journal, we report a study where people enjoyed more the food they were served and where keen on paying more for it, when being given heavier cultery to eat. 

Sensation transference or attentional capture, the fact is we should be more aware of the impact cutlery can have on our enjoyment of food, and probably also on how much we end up eating. 

Doing research in naturalistic dining environments is a great way to find insights to enhance culinary design.

Click on the image for a link to the coverage by Wired UK. 

[michelcharles]

R e v o l u t i o n Speaking at Creative Mornings London about the art & science of eating, and the likely futures of food. I will put forward some current research on the science of flavour and how our consumption behaviours are modelled, to then go on thinking about the big challenges facing humankind - global warming, deforestation, endangered animal species, obesity, scarcity, to name a few - and how all those problems are somehow related to food. By choosing wisely the foods we put in our mouths on a daily basis, we can be actors of positive change. Link in profile. #CMRevolution #Evolution #Revolution

[michelcharles]

|| Rotating Plates || Have you ever found yourself rotating your plate once the waiter has placed it down before you at the restaurant? This everyday action might hint at the fact that we all enjoy our food more when it is 'oriented' optimally. A research paper I led together with a team of scientists at the Crossmodal research laboratory, Oxford, proved that the orientation of food matters in how much we like the food, and how much we are willing to pay for it. This image shows the orientation chosen by 16667 participants, in an experiment conducted in collaboration with London's Science Museum. The arow indicated the statistical angle at which this particular plate of food should be oriented in order to be more pleasant. Thank you @albertolandgraf for the image and help with your approach to plating! #science #food #art #plating @theartofplating

[michelcharles]

Yesterday, refining the design of one of our eating utensils with Andreas Fabian (Doctor in spoons!). Our aim is to create a series of table utensils that enhance the pleasures of food, looking at primal shapes and body postures, automatically orienting users towards healthier eating behaviours. Our first batch of prototypes is currently being exposed at London's Science Museum. Thank you for that shot 'No Water For Whales'
・・・
Lucky and happy to work with such great people. Charles Michel/ Food Philosopher and Andreas Fabian/ Industrial Designer.

[michelcharles]

|| "We've become ashamed of making love to the food we eat," says Charles Michel. A young Franco-Colombian chef, Michel has bold ideas about the future of food. From chocolate mousse made with mashed up bees to innovative bowls and spoons that will make us eat more healthily, he's hacking food in remarkable ways.” ||

Article on Wired.co.uk on my research and collaboration with London’s Science Museum!

[michelcharles]

|| @ScienceMuseum Today's #LunchtimeReading || @WiredUK's article on Cravings exhibition; hacking food, science-based design, entomophagy, art on a plate, space food, and other ideas on what the future of food might be! #London #Science #Food #Cravings #Future

[michelcharles]

Companion – those with (com-) whom we share bread (pan). “Conviviality could mean much more than this. The etymology of the word shows it is a conjunction of the Latin ‘com’ (together) and ‘vivere’ (to live) […] Conviviality is thus the art of living together, not in the sense of just rubbing along or mutual toleration, but with warmth and pleasure” Baggini, J. (2014) • The Virtues of the Table • #Food #Philosophy

[michelcharles]

- We already know that how food looks affects how much we like it. If we can make people perceive taste on a virtual representation of their tongue, it raises an interesting question: " How much of our everyday experience of food is an illusion?"- New Scientist, 22 Nov 2014, p.42. Our research with Velasco, Salgado and Spence - the 'Fake Tongue Illusion' - is featured in this week's issue on 'Outsmarting reality'. #Science #Crossmodal #Food (at Oxford, Oxfordshire)

[michelcharles]

On stage with Charles the Spence and Ophelia Deroy talking about the many ways in which insights from psychology and perception can help design healthier food experiences. Guiding the mind and gut towards better eating behaviours is something the industry and policy makers should rapidly adopt. Sharing this and other ideas this week at the 'Food Matter Live' conference in London. We also conducted several scientific experiments with the Crossmodal team @expsociety. An interview on these ideas will be live tomorrow on BBC World Service at 7.30pm! #food #senses #psychology #Crossmodal #behaviour #science

[michelcharles]

Last Tuesday, conducting a session on 'The role of the Senses in Experience Design' for the Strategic Leadership Program of the Oxford Business School. Together with Professor Charles Spence and the talented Latvian cellist Margarita Balanas, we created an experiential session to deliver insights on how to use the knowledge on brain and sensory research to create successful products, interfaces, spaces and even negociation processes. Designing for the brain offers the possibility to enhance competitiveness, as well as quality of life and well-being; guiding people towards more enjoyable, healthier and sustainable choices.

[michelcharles]

Sunday 5th of October at the "Poetics of Food" talk, in London: A talk on infusing culinary experiences with Art and Science.

Plating a salad, inspired by Kandinsky's abstract expressionism. Using ingredients as colours, intuitively finding balance in shapes, lines and movement, to convey the aesthetics of Flavour.

Sharing, discovering, thinking. The art of food out of conventional contexts can make us re-think our relationship to the Nature we consume, and how.

Thank you Daniel Vais for the pictures, but especially for curating such an inspiring event!

[michelcharles]

We eat with our eyes. Maybe the essence of deliciousness is in the molecular and physical dimensions, but there is something in colour, shape and movement that, sometimes, can trigger positive emotional valence, establishing expectations that enhance our perception of foods. Three days ago, we filmed the idea of artistic plating of food for the #Cravings exhibition, to begin next February at London's Science Museum.

[michelcharles]

The 'Fake-Tongue' Illusion,

in The New Yorker - Tech. 

An article covering the publication of our last published paper at the Crossmodal Research Laboratory, on the new research paradigm that takes touch 'out of the mouth'. Some extracts:

We must eat to survive, and the tongue and the eyes are essential in guiding that consumption.

It's the first time that vision had been shown to influence perception of an internal organ as strongly as it does external body parts.

Following that logic, it’s possible that simply incorporating a magnifying glass into Michel’s cardboard box might boost flavor perception, making a food seem to taste more like itself—a sort of neuro-M.S.G., without the headaches!

The researchers plan to continue this line of investigation, with the goal of understanding how the brain integrates taste, smell, sight, and tactile sensations to create flavor experience ·

Original article to be found here

[michelcharles]

The Aerobanquet, created with Food Artist Caroline Hobkinson at Farnborough’s Windtunnel earlier this year. The Dream of Flying, food for sensory deprived environments and a flavour journey through Q121, a historical building where the aerodynamics of engines and airplanes were tested. Here, a picture of the Duck dish served in a performatic act, on the 19th of June, for Royal Air Force Officers and Artliner guests.

[michelcharles]

A few weeks ago, I was invited to the Fat Duck Experimental Kitchen to discuss certain ideas on food perception, on behalf of Charles Spence’s Crossmodal Research Lab.

We talked about several ways in which ‘Crossmodal’ thinking can be applied to culinary experience design (from tactile enhancement to visual presentations and flavour illusions).

We are now starting to collaborate on a study on food (visual) aesthetics. On this picture Ashley Hatton, Deiniol Pritchard, Chef Jonny Lake, Spence, Heston and F. McGlone. Amazing team!