London Experiment Probes Links between Sound and Taste

In a London museum, cultural and semiotic insight specialist Space Doctors has launched an installation called Choco-Phonica, consisting of a series of booths which explore consumers' relationship with chocolate through sound and taste.

To build the installation, which is based in the British Museum of Food in Borough Market, Space Doctors worked with culinary creatives Bompas & Parr, psychologists from the University of Oxford, and sound experts Nathanael Williams and Dom James.

The latter pair helped develop four themed soundscapes which are designed to evoke sensations around areas such as nostalgia, nature, and the sounds of the cacao fields. Visitors to the installation participate by entering four booths to eat chocolate, while listening to different sounds to see if the taste alters. Cato Hunt, Director of Innovation at Space Doctors, says that the experiment is designed to understand how culture affects taste perception, while ultimately helping brands use the senses to create more meaningful and memorable brand experiences.

'The notion that perception and memory can be influenced by the 'sounds', which represent cultural associations is an intriguing one - and we believe this to be the first experiment of its kind', Hunt states. 'This marks the beginning of new and fundamental understanding around brands as cultural entities'.

And of course it's free chocolate, and it's just up the road from MrWeb, so we'll be going.

Web sites: www.space-doctors.com and www.soundandmeaning.com .