Experience of Mould: Week 2

Brief

Design a way to materialise the qualities of mould

Team-mates

Jumleena Bhagawati, Xiyuan Han (Cyrus), Keyi Cao, Reagan Bbengo & Anshu Agarwal

Date

20/10/22 - 27/10/22

Welcome to week 2 of UX of Mould. For this project, we designed an embodied experience that translates both the good and bad qualities of mould. We were asked to to find and identify mould to understand it. We used two distinct research methods, The Love Letter and the Breakup Letter and AEIOU for the purpose of this project.

In this blog post, I have presented my documentation of our observation, research, and the prototype-building process that we did as a team of 5 on this project. I have also discussed the feedback received on the prototype and my reflection on the week's work at the end of the post.

- Timeline -

- Re-cap -

The previous week we developed a prototype where the prototype is meant to replicate the multinucleate amoeba during their feeding stage called a plasmodium. We kept food on different parts of the floor, the volunteers are supposed to put the sheet prototype over their heads and quickly grab the food from the floor before anyone else get it and eat it. Even though it was praised for its visual appearance but concept-wise and experience wise it was agreed upon by most that it completely missed the mark. We also developed the Love letter and Breakup letter along with finishing the AEIOU activity.

- Observation -

Initially, when we were researching on moulds were really taken in by the beauty of the colors and textures that it develops on the surface where it grows. As a group we watched multiple timelapse videos on youtube on the lifecycle of different moulds and we could not help but gawk at how alien-like and unreal these mysterious unicellular beings looked. Even in our previous trip to brough market I remember us staring at the beautiful cheeses so hard that I am quite confident that a few of the holes in the cheese were made by us.

As a group, it was very evident that we all found mould to be a very attractive-looking fungus. Moulds easily grow on food and there are a plenty of food which uses variants of molds for production so talk of mould and food went hand in hand in our conversations. Also, most of our exposure to mould throughout our research happened so far through food. But how can something so beautiful indicate a sign of rot?

Most of my previous personal experience of mould came from a mouldy pack of bread in the fridge. Never have I or any one of us ever looked at it closely enough and seen it in full bloom.

Going back to the borough market when we were staring at the cheese, there were a few instances where we talked about what a dining experience except with beautiful mouldy unedible food could be like. But we used to dismiss the idea quickly as it did not seem realistic enough to ever grow 4 course of mouldy food on such short notice. But then when we got on a group call after the previous week's presentation and someone coy-ly again bought up the idea of a mouldy dining experience, everyone was immediately jumping on board! To some degree it looked like everyone was just patiently waiting for the concept to be put on the table again.

- Design Process -

Brainstorming : House of Mould

Our team decided to create a dining experience with mould: House of Mould! In order to make it feel like a real experience, we decided to create a pop up-restaurant and gave each team-member a role. We first diverged to brainstorm and roughly sketch out our concepts for the restaurant.

We gathered the mouldy food that we accumulated so far and got to work on building the prototype.

Video of us building our mouldy prototype fresh in the morning (day of the presentation)

Within 45 mins we plated the mould and set it aside to be bought out during the serving time in the presentation.

Images of all the mouldy food we managed to create.

Goal

A lot many times we throw food away before it even goes bad, hence, we could never fully experience seeing mould grow on it fully and thus, we could never experience the visually beauty of this organism. We wanted to create an experience where the guests feels a sense of juxtaposition looking at the beautifully plated mould, being served as food, the very thing we actively avoid as it can be very harmful for our health.

- Prototype & Interaction Design: House of Mould -

Video of our act on the day of the presentation.

The team and the roles we played in the restaurant "House of Mould" <3

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- Evaluation & Feedback -

At the end of our two-week development cycle, we presented the House of Mould prototype for feedback. The shift to using all real moulds in the second week based on earlier feedback was well-received.

However, we also gathered some important insights to refine the concept further:

1. The decision to fully integrate real moulds in the second week was praised, with the participants appreciating the authenticity and boldness of using real moulds.

2. The use of real moulds helped to reinforce the concept, but there was still a desire for a more explicit connection between the moulds and the overall narrative. Some participants mentioned that while the food's appearance was visually striking, they would have appreciated a deeper explanation of how the moulds were sourced, their role in sustainability, and their actual benefits.

3. Some participants were initially wary of the moulds as an ingredient, and there was feedback suggesting that more attention should be paid to the food's taste and how it complemented the unusual visual presentation.

4. Several participants expressed that while the experience was enhanced by taking a more informative approach they suggested adding educational elements, such as a brief explanation of the moulds' nutritional value, and the environmental benefits they offer. This could have been delivered through signage, a Q&A session, or a guided explanation, making the experience more enriching.

- Reflection -

Reflecting on the second week, while the concept was not flawless, it certainly offered a quirky experience that most people will probably never have again- hopefully! The use of real moulds added an unexpected twist, and I have to admit, it felt a lot more authentic than our first attempt.

Through this project, we ventured into the realm of sensory and experimental design, pushing the boundaries of conventional dining to create a truly unique and thought-provoking experience that challenges both our perceptions and our senses. Despite the bumps, our team pulled it together, and it was rewarding to see the concept come to life in such a unique way. I believe we definitely served up something memorable.

View the concept visualization of the experience "House of mould" on Behance : https://www.behance.net/gallery/194468881/IMMERSIVE-DINING-WITH-REAL-MOULD

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