Kiki / Bouba
Crispy Sharp· Soft Smooth
Emily Penso
Details of work
“But What Would We Be Without One Another?”
Graphite and coloured pencil on paper
1080mm x 700mm
Conceptual description
Softness and sharpness meet in quiet tension. A playful pink, cloud-like form – fluffy and weightless – hovers above a suspended crystal pendulum, it’s edges precise, cold and cutting.
The work draws on the Bouba/Kiki effect, where humans instinctively associate rounded forms with softness and jagged forms with sharpness. The cloud evokes “Bouba”: gentle, maternal and diffuse. In contrast, the pendulum embodies “Kiki”: angular, exacting, and potentially dangerous.
Titled But What Would We Be Without One Another? The piece extends this perceptual pairing into a conceptual inquiry. Bouba and Kiki are not merely opposites, but interdependent, defining each other through contrast. Can softness exist without sharpness to distinguish it? Can gentleness be known without the possibility of danger?
Together, they form a fragile equilibrium, suggesting that meaning arises not in isolation, but in relationship – where difference becomes necessary, and opposition becomes unity.
Ritual Revival
The Experience: Ginger in Two Forms
An interactive tasting inspired by the accompanying artwork, exploring how texture shapes flavour perception. Guests encounter ginger in two contrasting expressions: Kiki, a sharp, crisp pickled ginger bite, and Bouba, a soft, airy ginger cloud with gentle sweetness.
Ginger contains naturally warming compounds that create brightness and heat. When presented in a crisp form, these sensations feel sharper and more intense; when aerated and soft, they appear gentler and rounder. This reflects how the brain links texture, shape and flavour — the same ingredient can be experienced in completely different ways.
Guests are invited to observe the artwork, taste each element separately, and compare how form, flavour and perception interact.
