In this video, Hannah Nepilova speaks to Jacob Thompson-Bell, director of the Unusual Ingredients.
Unusual ingredients is a multi-sensory collective, comprising two musicians and a food anthropolist, which is devoted to bringing to life the relationships between sound and flavour. Their work draws on the latest gastrophysical research into sensory perception, while their music uses exact sonic frequencies and musical gestures calibrated to enhance the mouthfeel, flavour and provenance of each ingredient.
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Among their products is a muti-sensory tasting pack, which provides select ingredients, including popping candy, seaweed and sweets to enjoy over Zoom. In 2023 they created three soundscapes accentuating different flavour qualities of the apple, including sweetness, juiciness and crunchiness. In 2021 they were commissioned by the Great Feast to design sounds for Joyride, a 45-minute multi-sensory tasting experience investigating pleasure through flavour, sound and smell.
- Read: Review of The Grand Exhibition | an immersive-dining experience-cum-trip-around-the-world
- Read: Review of Chambers of Flavour | an immersive theatrical dining experience
Their work has been featured and reviewed in numerous publications, including The Times, The Guardian and Evening Standard. They have also combined experience funding, managing and delivering a variety of artistic projects and brand partnerships across food and music.
Unusual ingredients is created by musicians Jacob Thompson-Bell and Adam Martin, and food artist Caroline Hobkinson.
About the founders
Jacob Thompson-Bell is a composer, curator, and researcher based in the United Kingdom. He creates music and multimedia work, across live performance, release, and installation formats. He is also a Senior Lecturer in Music at the University of Lincoln, U.K.
Adam Martin is a music producer who works directly with recorded sound working across the fields of electronic music, experimental music, sonic art and contemporary classical music.
Caroline Hobkinson is a food artist who has long been exploring and investigating the interrelationships between Tech, Food, Art and Senses. Born in Cologne in 1979, she trained at Central Saint Martin’s, where she gained a degree in Fine Art, and SOAS where she studied the Anthropology of Food for a master’s degree. Since then, she has been creating events and sculptural installations, in galleries, museums and public spaces worldwide. 
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