Sweet Shoppe
Guerilla Science + Emilie Baltz
Sweet Shoppe may look like any other high concept candy store, until you step inside and meet the shop keeper, a pharmacist who seems to have traveled from another time — or dimension? — in order to serve you. There is no medicine at this Willy Wonka-inspired apothecary, but the secret life of sugar (and a treat, if you’re nice) is offered in a broad range of immersive and sensory experiences incorporating art, technology and live performance.
Open for just three days starting December 1st, Sweet Shoppe is a collaboration between Guerilla Science—the collective behind dozens of surreal science experiences in New York City and around the country—and acclaimed artist Emilie Baltz, whose recent projects include the Cotton Candy Theremin at the Panorama Festival. Taking over a retail space at the luxury apartment building One Brooklyn Bridge Park (360 Furman St, ground floor, waterfront side), Baltz and Guerilla Science will offer shoppers, tourists, and curious passersby the chance to explore our complex affair with sugar — just in time for the holidays.
“Sugar is such a highly charged topic,” says Guerilla Science’s U.S. Head of Operations Olivia Koski. “This is the ideal time of year to think critically about it, and Emilie’s incredible vision and sensory design experience make her the perfect partner for us to do that with.”
Sweet Shoppe will be open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis from 11 am to 9 pm, with ticketed programming beginning at 7 pm each night, the details of which will be announced at an upcoming date. The installation explores sugar’s role in everything from agricultural systems and cooking, to its physiological impact on the brain, to the politics of sugar manufacturing and obesity.
“Sugar is much more than just a calorie. It is a part of our entire life: affecting everything from our moods to our bodies, media, planet and politics. I’m thrilled to partner with Guerilla Science to explore the science behind sugar and deliver a new perspective on what we think of as ‘sweet’,” says Emilie Baltz. “I can’t wait to see how people respond.”
About Guerilla Science
Guerilla Science connects people with science by creating live experiences in unexpected places. Based in London and New York, Guerilla Science mixes art, science, design, and play to translate cutting-edge scientific research into unique high-end experiences. Its projects have delighted more than 100,000 people on two continents in festivals, cultural institutions, nightlife venues, public spaces, and branded settings. Guerilla Science collaborators include a wide array of world-class scientists and creative thinkers, and its work has been featured in the New York Times, the New Yorker, Wired, Vice, The Guardian, NPR, and more.
Recent work includes The Attraction Lab, a provocative live series exploring the relationship between our senses and attraction that returned to New York City November 8th at Caveat; and Have I Got Fake News for You, a fact-or-fiction contest that debuted in London on November 22.
About Emilie Baltz
Emilie Baltz believes in unicorns. She hunts for what does not (yet) exist and is dedicated to creating new possibilities in the world.
Baltz works as an experiential artist, food designer and educator and is best known for her work at the intersection of food and sensory storytelling. She is based in New York City and is a founding member of NEW INC, the first museum led incubator hosted at the New Museum.
Baltz’s work has been commissioned by EMPAC (Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center), The Vitra Design Museum, The Bemis Center for Contemporary Art, New Media Scotland, Trienal of Portugal, Eyebeam, New Zealand Food Institute, Yale University and The Museum of Art and Design. She is the former Creative Director of the Museum of Sex, New York, and has collaborated with Chefs Albert Adria, Alain Passard, Celler de Can Roca, artist David Byrne, Droog Design, Cheval Blanc and Limoges Porcelain on food and drink experiences and publications. Her corporate clients include LVMH, Microsoft, AOL, Ebay, F&W Media, Bombay Sapphire, Ketel One, Dupont, Panasonic and PUMA.
Baltz is the author of the award-winning “L.O.V.E FOODBOOK,” recipient of Best First Cookbook in the World at the Prix Gourmand held annually in the Louvre, Paris; as well as the nationally featured cookbook, “Junk Foodie: 51 Delicious Recipes for the Lowbrow Gourmand“.
Baltz is based in New York City and is part of the founding faculty of the School of Visual Arts Products of Design program as well as the founder of the Food Design Studio at Pratt Institute. She holds a BA in Film Studies from Vassar College and an MID from Pratt Institute.
About Science Sandbox
Science Sandbox is dedicated to inspiring a deeper interest in science, especially among those who don’t think of themselves as science enthusiasts. Science Sandbox supports and collaborates with programs that unlock scientific thinking in everyone. Science Sandbox is an initiative of the Simons Foundation.
For further information, please check Guerilla Science’s website at http://guerillascience.org/event/sweetshoppe/ or contact Guerilla Science atinfo@guerillascience.org. Guerilla Science may also be followed on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
