Art, VR, and Culinary-Loaded Aerobanquets RMX Experience Lands at Superblue for Miami Art Week

Worlds are coming together in the best way possible at Superblue.

Aerobanquets RMX — a multi-layered culinary experience that combines mixed reality, art, and food — is landing in Miami for the very first time. It runs today, Monday, November 28, through Sunday, December 4, coinciding with Miami Art Week.

In the words of the activation’s creator, Italian interdisciplinary artist Mattia Casalegno, it’s all about something new. “This is a completely new way of dining, by mixing theater, new media and, yes, food,” he tells New Times. “As with any form of art, you need to be open and receptive. And with that, we’ve had people ages eight to eighty really enjoy this.”

Originally concocted by Casalegno in 2017, Aerobanquets RMX has to date appeared in select markets, including South Korea, China, and New York City. Casalegno says Aerobanquets RMX has evolved, and Miami will mark its largest installation thus far. The installation is happening thanks in part to a partnership with Meta Open Arts, which has helped Casalegno update his immersive artwork with the latest VR tech.

Core to the experience, guests wear a Meta Quest 2 VR headset during the dine, with a narrated culinary voyage by Gail Simmons. While taking in scenes and sensory experiences inspired by The Futurist Cookbook, diners taste morsels from a customized menu from James Beard Award-winning chef Chintan Pandya.
Groups of up to 16 guests enter the space and sessions last 30 to 60 minutes. According to Mattia and as part of the fun, diners aren’t told the full slate of what they’ll be eating upon entry, though they can go a vegan route if desired.

Among the experience’s prior dishes are a “mousse of roasted hopes” that evokes quirky feelings of the first time you bit your lip and a tart creation that resembles the whistle of wind through a door lock. Throughout, there is a custom soundtrack by electronic composer Martux M.

“Here in Miami, we have art being presented in so many ways and, of course, we have an excellent dining world, too,” Kathleen Forde, senior curator at Superblue, tells New Times. “With everything we’ve done and presented to date, it’s been about shared experiences in a physical space. This is very much a new twist as we create even more event-driven experiences.”

As for what may be beyond Miami for Aerobanquets RMX, Casalegno says, “From here, I see headsets getting smaller in the future and new social experiments and experiences being woven in. It will keep evolving.”

Aerobanquets RMX by Mattia Casalegno. Monday, November 28, through Sunday, December 4, at Superblue Miami, 1101 NW 23rd St., Miami; 786-697-3414; superblue.com/aero. Tickets cost $58 to $200.