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TOUCH THAT TASTE! TRANSLATES TASTE INTO TANGIBLE OBJECTS

A project by Martyna Barbara Golik that turns abstract sensations into home accessories

What if sour was something that you could touch? How would it feel? Copenhagen-based designer Martyna Barbara Golik attempts to answer these questions with her Touch That Taste! project: five tangible objects that translate taste into touch.

Sweet is interpreted as a pouf which imitates the feeling of sinking into something like when sugar melts slowly on your tongue, while salty (pictured above) is a room divider that begs for interaction with complex layers that can be lifted and removed.

Bitter takes the form of slippers made from felt and foam. Each slipper weighs two kilograms which makes walking difficult and simulates the weighty feeling of bitter things. Sour becomes a woolen blanket with fringe that is made for shimmying and shaking – just like we do when tasting something sour.

The lesser known umami is transformed into a rug with different textures. Combining technical felt, tufted woolen yarn and rubber, the rug is a tactile exploration for bare feet that mimics the elusive savory taste.

In order to collect data for the project, the designer had ten people undergo a synesthesia-inspired experiment where they were asked to taste and smell five foods, each of which represented one taste. Each person was then asked to best describe the taste as it would feel or look. The designer then analyzed the results and picked key words and colors that would correlate with each taste before beginning to phase of material experimentation.

Once the designer had settled upon three final options for each taste, the same group of people were asked to choose the object that most corresponded with the taste. The results of this last experiment became the final collection.

With Touch That Taste!, the young designer manages to turn the intangible into something substantial. Something visceral is created between object and user as they explore their perceptions with palpable objects. The project was most recently presented at Ventura Station as part of Ventura Lambrate during Milan Design Week

TOUCH THAT TASTE! TRANSLATES TASTE INTO TANGIBLE OBJECTS

Details

  • Copenhagen, Denmark
  • Martyna Barbara Golik

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