A reception party for “Taste of Inspiration for LEXUS” was held at INTERSECT BY LEXUS – TOKYO on December 19th, celebrating the start of the exhibition that runs until December 28th.

Guests flocked to the Minami-Aoyama venue to sample the unique menu of micro “inspiration tastes.” Inside they were treated to a sensory and emotional world that channeled the LEXUS spirit of experiencing the amazing.

Four performers, dressed in costumes matching the theme of the event, served guests an exclusive menu of edible inspirations. Overseen by food creation’s Ayako Suwa, each of the eight varieties of food and drink offered one-of-a-kind sensations. From their vivid appearance to their complex flavors, these culinary delights were sources of inspiration for everyone who sampled them.

Taken from the Skinwear Series by SOMARTA’s Tamae Hirokawa, the costumes of the performers were intended as visual representations of the sensory nerves of the guests at the event. “The performers embody the senses inside us that have been sharpened and then left the body,” Suwa said. “Ordinarily, information about ingredients and cooking methods also plays an important part in deciding what to eat. But I wanted the performers to serve as tools for honing the senses, stirring up the curiosity of guests and inspiring them to eat the food in front of their eyes—the likes of which they had never seen before.”

The “Taste of Inspiration for LEXUS” exhibition runs from December 20th to December 28th, featuring an Inspiration Tasting Bar in the downstairs Garage space. The cylindrical installation is decorated in the center with fruit, spices, and other ingredients, around which are lined “inspiration seeds.” In this way, the whole Garage space at INTERSECT becomes a work of art.

Guests can try the 30 different types of seeds and relish the inspiring tastes of nature in the heart of the city. Eating the seeds will sharpen the senses and transform your emotions and mood. It is a sensory stimulation like no other: to sample the intuitively selected miniature dishes is to deliberately confront your own inner self. As you appreciate the delicate flavors and the seeds dissolve in your body, all manner of new ideas and sensations are born.

“Even with something that you are used to eating,” Suwa explains, “your senses will be honed as you enjoy these flavors here in the city. Just one bite is enough to alter your mindset. We are normally influenced a lot by movies, music, books, and the content we view on our smartphones. This time inspiration will come not from others, but from within yourself. I hope guests experience the event like this.”

During the exhibition, six varieties of inspiration seeds will be available in blends based on the themes of “Amazing,” “Mindshift,” and “Visionary” (500 yen each or 1,500 yen for a pack of three. Available while stocks last.).

Taste of Inspiration for LEXUS Exhibition
Venue: INTERSECT BY LEXUS – TOKYO (4-21-26 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo)
Dates: December 20th – December 28th
Food tasting available 12:00–20:00. At other times(9：00〜23：00), view only.
http://lexus.jp/international/brand/intersect/tokyo/garage/taste-of-inspiration-for-lexus-2017.html

Akiko Suwa (artist; director, food creation)
Born in Ishikawa Prefecture, Akiko Suwa graduated from Kanazawa College of Art and launched food creation in 2006. In 2008, she held her first solo exhibition, “sensuous food, emotional tastes” at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, presenting examples of food that can be savored like human feelings. She has since created “guest restaurant” performances, the dining experience “Journey on the table,” and food installations at venues in Tokyo, Fukuoka, Singapore, Paris, Hong Kong, Taipei, Berlin, Barcelona, and more. In 2014–15, she oversaw “Taste of Curiosity — Museum of Curiosity,” an exhibition at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa commemorating the museum’s tenth anniversary, in partnership with the University of Tokyo’s University Museum. Creating food art that explores the themes of the human instincts of desire, curiosity, and evolution, Suwa presents new values for food that are neither gourmet tastes, nutrition, nor an energy source.

food creation
“Concepts that reach your stomach.”
Based on the principles of director Akiko Suwa, food creation strives to communicate a highly particular concept of food. It creates design and art direction for food-related experiences through exhibitions at Japanese and overseas art museums and galleries, performances, and partnerships with corporations and local governments. Treating food as the ultimate sensory communication material and a tool for appealing to our senses and emotions even more effectively than video or music, it creates situations for conveying messages to guests and clients. The food it makes is not simply something for eating or looking at. By shaping the situations, relationships and dramaturgy for experiencing the food into a special concept of taste, food creation seeks out new means of food expression that use all five senses. In this way, it has established a unique style of concept food, food installation, and food performance.