Motivation: For the 2013 spring Media Lab Members Meeting, I built an installation in the Media Lab sound studio that explored the importance of food as a source of memory and inspiration for storytelling.
The walls of the studio were covered with white curtains. Infrared-controlled LEDs were attached to the curtains and suspended from the ceiling. To create the sensation of fireflies, a Processing program controlled the LEDs so they blinked in sync. Scents of vanilla, baking spices, and citrus were released via a liquid vaporizer. Interviews with the Media Lab community on the subject of their favorite childhood desserts were looped in the background together with a mellow piano track. As the participant stepped into the dim room, blinking lights and sweet dessert aromas surrounded them. They were given a piece of caramel at the door to eat inside as they listened to people’s stories about their favorite childhood desserts.