Surprise Me

20 04 2010

The amazing Heston Blumenthal is at it again and this time he’s designing a series of feasts based around fiction. If you’re unfamiliar with his work, it’s way out there on the misty borders between theatre, art, science and culinary magic.

In the TV programs, you get a glimpse into his creative process, including the bits that go wrong (the duck à l’orange bomb).   And what other chef does his or her research by getting smashed on absinthe in France, and  visting sex shops to find the best jelly-wobbling vibrators*?  Who else would make real Charlie and the Chocolate Factory lickable wallpaper, or  an Alice in Wonderland drink-me potion that has five separate flavours including cherry tart and turkey?

You can view him in action here. I particularly recommend Series 2: Heston’s Chocolate Factory Feast and Series 1: Heston’s Victorian Feast.

Bon appetit!

*Vibrators were a Victorian invention used by doctors to “cure” “hysteria”.  I think each of those words deserves its own set of sarcastic quotes.





Life is Rubbish

1 04 2010

And vice versa. Theo Jansen makes the most incredible wind-powered sculptures out of recycled plastic tubing, water bottles and plastic sheets. This is not your average spins-around-a-bit-in-the-breeze kinetic sculpture.  For starters, some of them have a binary step counter made of plastic bottles.

Check them out in this short video (sorry about the ad). Learn more in his TED talk, or visit his website and be amazed.

You can see them on the beach at Exmouth on the 25th -27th June 2010.








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