A byte to eat: immersive dining goes hi-tech from Los Angeles to Hong Kong
From animated artworks to ‘floating chairs’, immersive dinners are turning to multimedia tech like never before. Are guests eating it up?
By Todd Martens
My dinner course is served. It is covered by a Campbell’s-inspired soup can, lightly angled so strands of broccoli are peeking out. I lift the can to uncover a slow-braised short rib and mashed potatoes. It is an American dish to represent an American artist – Andy Warhol.
The room is filled with projections, scenes of bustling New York traffic paired with bachelor-pad-like guitar riffs. Warhol silkscreens are shown on a wall above a dinner table.
It is a Friday night in West Hollywood, and I am surrounded by a mix of out-of-towners and those celebrating an anniversary. While this is a special occasion, we are urged to get a little messy with our food – to use our hands, to paint with a salad, to draw on a cookie.
Play is the primary side dish at 7 Paintings, a tech-infused dinner event that aims to be a crash course in fine art.
“Have you ever eaten a painting before?” says Nadine Beshir, the Dubai-based creator of 7 Paintings. “We try to get people out of their comfort zones and eating paper. I want to bring out the child in them.”