Bompass & Parr's 'Culinary Odyssey'

This was back in March and has easily been my favourite project I have worked on for Rhea. An event to promote KitchenAid products inspired by food and drink from science fiction books and films. Not only that, but the concept came from none other than Bompas & Parr who's creativity and straight up eccentricity I have admired since I came accross their architectural jellies back in 2008.
There were 7 areas to design;
Insect Protein, serving insect protein pasta inspired by Brian David Johnson's 2013 Food of the Future (out next year!)
Ice cream from the Howard Johnson Earthlight Room, serving smoked Bourbon ice cream. Inspired by Stanley Kubrick's 1968 2001: A Space Odyssey
Levitating Meringue, literally levitating food, crazy! 'Spook' Inspired by Jeff Noon's 1998 Solace
Bioluminescent Lollies, inspired by Bruce Sterling's 1988 Islands in the Net
Sugar In The Air, Breath in the flavour! Inspired by E.C. Large's 1939 Sugar in the Air. A Romance
Food Pills, Machine mixed sherbets with micro-encapsulated flavours, inspired by George Pal's 1955 Conquest of Space
And the main attraction of the evening, Planetary Bar which was serving the following drinks;
Milk Plus - Khat Milk inspired by Anthony Burgess's 1962 Clockwork Orange
Nourishment Inspired by Roger Vadim's 1968 Barbarella
Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster inspired by Douglas Adams' 1979 HitchHiker's guide to the Galaxy

Creative Direction by Bompas & Parr, Set Design by Rhea Thierstein.

 We made 350 of these mutant ants, they infected the venue before being taken home by guests as a special Rhea Thierstein Souvenir!

Cosmic Planets and Moons...

Making one of the planets rings...

Space bubbles...

Setting up Saturn behind the bar, The animation is projected from inside the sphere which giving the illusion that the whole thing is rotation, made by a company called Pufferfish, check them out!

Giant Space worms, breaking through the floors and walls!

Hanging one of the mutant wasps...

The White frame is what later became the 'Sugar In The Air' room, a walk in chamber filled with rum and cola flavoured air, you could actually taste it in the air, it was soooo sticky, you were given a paper boiler suit to enter..


















This is The 'Bioluminescent' Area. We built a blacked out cave surrounded by glow stick juice. When entering the cave you were presented with a Bioluminescent lolly which when put in your mouth glowed as luminous as a glow stick!

Labaratory vibes...

The Ant invasion!

For many more, much better photos and details about the actual event and the food itself (we were all way to exhausted to be taking pictures by that point, and it was my birthday so I was off duty!) follow this link to notcot.com who's article about it makes me wish I could go back and do it all over again. Or go to rheathierstein.com