The Taste of Being

The Taste of Being

Aishwarya, Maryam, Max

Concept

Emotional intelligence describes the human capacity to perceive, interpret, and navigate internal emotional states. Material intelligence, in contrast, refers to the intrinsic properties of matter, its physical composition, chemical behavior, and the subtle forms of agency embedded within materials.

Communication emerges when systems create a bridge between these different forms of intelligence, allowing entities with varying degrees of agency to interact and influence one another.

This project explores how human emotional intelligence and the material intelligence of food intersect through the intimate act of eating.

A conductive tree-like structure holds different foods, grapes, gummies, and jelly, each connected to wires that function as capacitive sensors. When a participant takes a bite, the internal structure of the food changes: cells rupture, moisture and electrolytes are released, and the human body becomes part of the electrical field. These transformations alter the capacitance of the system.

An Arduino captures these electrical variations and translates them into shifting patterns of light through LEDs embedded in the trunk and base of the tree.

The installation transforms the simple act of biting into a sensorial feedback loop, where invisible electrochemical transformations become perceptible. In this moment, eating becomes more than consumption; it becomes a form of communication between body, material, and machine. Emotional intelligence describes the human capacity to perceive, interpret, and navigate internal emotional states. Material intelligence, in contrast, refers to the intrinsic properties of matter, its physical composition, chemical behavior, and the subtle forms of agency embedded within materials. Communication emerges when systems create a bridge between these different forms of intelligence, allowing entities with varying degrees of agency to interact and influence one another. This project explores how human emotional intelligence and the material intelligence of food intersect through the intimate act of eating. A conductive tree-like structure holds different foods, grapes, gummies, and jelly, each connected to wires that function as capacitive sensors. When a participant takes a bite, the internal structure of the food changes: cells rupture, moisture and electrolytes are released, and the human body becomes part of the electrical field. These transformations alter the capacitance of the system. An Arduino captures these electrical variations and translates them into shifting patterns of light through LEDs embedded in the trunk and base of the tree.

Introduction

This project started with the idea of creating an emotional connection between two machine intelligences and a human-like entity. Our initial intention was to explore how human emotions could be sensed and translated into visual art. However, we did not want the outcome to remain purely digital; instead, we wanted the final result to exist as a physical interactive installation.

Because of this, we began experimenting with light and physical interaction. One of our inspirations was the concept of a polygraph, a device that attempts to measure human reactions such as stress or deception through physiological signals. We were interested in creating a system that could detect human emotional responses and translate them into visual feedback.

Interaction Design

The installation consists of a tree-like structure from which different edible objects are suspended. Participants interact with the installation by touching or eating the items attached to the structure. These actions trigger reactions from the system.

The idea is that the system first senses the human interaction, reacts to it visually, and then continues responding to the participant’s reactions in return. In this way, a loop of responses is created between the human and the machine.

Materials and Edible Elements

During the process, we explored different types of edible materials and considered how each could evoke different emotional or sensory responses.

Eventually, we decided to work primarily with homemade jelly, which we created ourselves. The jelly pieces were mounted onto a conductive tree structure. When participants interact with or consume these jelly elements, the system detects the interaction through capacitive sensing.

Other edible elements such as grapes and gummy candies can also be used as part of the installation.

Sensors and Technical Approach

Initially, we intended to measure human emotional responses using sensors capable of detecting physiological data such as heart rate. However, we did not have access to appropriate sensors for reliably measuring those signals. Using a camera was also not a practical solution for our setup.

Therefore, we decided to use an Arduino capacitive sensor. When a participant touches the edible elements connected to the conductive structure, the sensor detects the capacitive interaction with human skin.

This interaction becomes the primary input for the system.

Visual System

When we first got the capacitive sensor set up, it seemed really unreliable. The serial plotter from the Arduino would keep changing scales, and it was very difficult to see anything other than noise from the sensor. To that end, we set up a simple TouchDesigner script to visualize this. It was a line with points tied to a chop.

Coding and System Integration

The code was surprisingly easy. Once I understood all of the inputs and outputs of the system, all I had to do was negotiate its development with Claude. Within 10 well-structured prompts, Claude had produced exactly the reasoning I had specified.

Challenges

Throughout the process, we faced several technical challenges. One of the main difficulties was constructing the conductive tree structure. The tree’s wiring had to remain conductive while still supporting the physical edible elements.

We experimented with different structural and electrical solutions until we created a system where the tree could both hold the food

elements and function as part of the sensing mechanism.

Now, whenever someone takes or eats something from the tree, the system detects the interaction and responds through light-based visual feedback.

Conclusion

This project explores a playful and experimental form of communication between humans and machines. Through edible interaction, capacitive sensing, and responsive light visuals, the installation creates a dialogue in which human actions trigger machine reactions, forming a continuous interactive loop.