The experience of heat is an inevitable conversation when handling chillies. The capsacin moves from the fruit to the palate and, each time, we are left scrambling for words to describe the experience. This linguistic event is something that we've grown more confident with over time, and we now find ourselves using shorthand to describe the impact, bloom, and shape of heat on our mouths and minds.
This, however, gave us an idea. Words aren't the only way to express an experience. And, since we're extremely fortunate enough to be connected with an amazing array of musicians, we thought it would be worth asking them to translate the experience of heat another way ~ in the language of their instrument.
To begin the series, here is Geoff Lea and his video.
Geoff, an immensely skilled drummer was kind enough to join us at Notch Studio atop Maker Heights to fulfil a simple premise: we give you a spoonful of hot sauce and you express the experience through your instrument. We had no idea if the concept would work or if it would even be entertaining if it did. But, for a twenty second video, it was worth a shot.
We should have realised that, with a drummer like Geoff, it was always going to be great.
We set Geoff up in the studio and lined up our hot sauce, loading a single wooden spoon with a single serving. Geoff ate the sauce and immediately launched into a drum solo, becoming more intense with each second, smashing his way through the quick bloom of the Bahamian Goat chilli, all before throwing his arms down as he reaches the summit of the experience.
At this point, just before the video cuts to a shot of the hot sauce bottle, you see Geoff exhale with a slight smile ~ the euphoria.
Now, we aren't only indebted to Geoff for being the first musician to join our project, but also to the fantastic team at Notch Studio. These guys are another example of just how fortunate we are to be saturated with passionate, creative, and driven individuals on the Rame Peninsula.
They leapt at the chance to help make the project a reality and made the whole experience a joy for everyone involved (even as we navigated heady heat-led delirium).
This shoot, as mentioned above, was also the first of a small series, meaning that we have more to share soon. To see which musicians we've teamed up with, and to hear their translation of Blesys Sherp, go and visit our Instagram profile. And follow the profiles of folk involved too, as it'll give you better insight into why we're so keen to shout about the creative landscape and warm community of our Peninsula.
Honour in heat.
The Blesys Sherp Team
