18-07-2014

The incredible Jellymongers

Superheroes or jelly architects? British Sam Bompas and Harry Parr create wondrous things

Funland is one of the most recent projects that Bo

Funland is one of the most recent projects that Bompas & Parr, an increasingly popular creative studio, created for the NYC Museum of Sex. "Pleasures and risks of the sex fair" is the title of this complex installation, which is in fact only one of the many inventive creations of these two young Brits

Fruit flavoured fireworks over the Thames; gherkins that lit up like light bulbs; London’s lost cityscape built in gingerbread; an ice cream that glows in the dark; a mirror maze to navigate through your sense of smell; a dinner in a masonic temple inspired by Jodorowsky’s cult movie "The Holy Mountain"; and again, a machine to make bubble gum using the most bizarre flavours, a tall ship on a sea of jelly, occult jam, a map of America built of jelly, the river Lea coloured in emerald green.

We are not hallucinating, honestly. This is just a small selection of some incredible projects already realised by a pair of young Brits, ambitious and extremely creative who, in 2007 set up Bompas & Parr. They became immediately known for gourmet experiences completely out of the ordinary: labelling themselves jellymongers and architectural foodsmiths, Sam Bompas and Harry Parr now have a team of 10 working with them, and they produce some seriously crazy stuff not only in London (where they are based) but also abroad.

Tall ship SS Great Britain surrounded by 55,000 litres of lime green jelly

Tall ship SS Great Britain surrounded by 55,000 litres of lime green jelly

They take inspiration from history, art, science and collaborate with a number of cultural institutions and museums. Their last work is in fact hosted by the New York Museum of Sex: called Funland, it’s an immersive experience between art and senses, aimed “to give the audience a breathless rush of endorphins” through a multisensory path that includes, amongst other things, a tunnel of love to search for the G spot while listening to music and discovering edible treats.

We have a chance to meet Sam Bompas at an event where he is teaching us how to create churches and castles using two flavoured jellies (coffee and vanilla) to then eat as a dessert. Sam is quite a character, very friendly and keen to show people how to use and have fun with jelly, which was the first medium of expression of the team. Since history and architecture are the background for a lot of their installations, we ask him what his favourite historical period is.  «Medieval! – he tells us - I love the lurid medieval sensibility».

He remembers a key moment when, aged 6, was taken for a meal at Medieval Times. «With two fully armoured men smashing each-other with maces in front of you it's hard to finish the meal on a high. It was an important lesson in dining as sensory assault. By creating a spectacle the choreographers made the meal sublime». Bompas and Parr do a lot of historical research, seeking out what excited people centuries ago which can still be very intense now: «When reinterpreted with modern skills, techniques and technologies they make for a compelling experience».

Lost London: lost, destroyed or never built landscapes in London, made with gingerbread

Lost London: lost, destroyed or never built landscapes in London, made with gingerbread

Surely working for Sam and Harry is no ordinary 9-5 job. Sam confirms it: «In the last week we’ve opened the MoSex show, cooked with lava and hosted Gourmet Bathing around a submerged a table in a rooftop pool». 
With such a variety of work and techniques, we wonder then which one of their many projects has been mostly challenging. «Anything with chocolate. As it’s fat based it’s extra hard to clean up. We’ve weathered our way through a few chocolate emergencies in our time!».

All made up? Seeing is believing: if not in person when passing through the UK, then by checking out their website, full of videos and photos of their work.


Dal Mondo

Reviews, recommendations and trends from the four corners of the planet, signed by all the authors of Identità Golose

by

Federica Carr

A British citizen from Naples, obsessive scuba diver, digital marketing manager Monday to Friday, foodie at any given time

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