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Brian James Kirk Geeks Out


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Published: Jun 1, 2010

Museum Without Walls

The Fairmount Park Art Association will launch its Museum Without Walls audio tour, a storytelling series for prominent public art. Artists and experts explain 51 sculptures in informative sound bites that can be downloaded to portable music players or listened to by dialing in from a cell phone. The clips are engaging, like artist Mark di Suvero explaining the impromptu welding process he used for Iroquois (pictured), the kinetic red sculpture near the Philadelphia Museum of Art, or expert analysis of Henry Moore's Three-Way Piece Number One: Points, the bulbous yet delicate sculpture on the Parkway. Opens Thu., June 10, free, Fairmount Park Art Association, 215-546-7550, museumwithoutwallsaudio.org

The Science of Tasting Beer and Pairing it with Food

During Philly Beer Week, Monell Chemical Senses Center — dedicated to understanding the mechanisms and functions of taste and smell — is embracing it. Monell food psychologist Marcia Pelchat, who speaks often about wine tasting, will break down the science of pairing beer with food and how your tongue is able to taste. There's scientific subtlety in pairing. Truth is, a salty food will never bring out the best of a bitter ale. That's because it's about more than just taste and smell; there's a third and lesser-known sense involved called chemesthesis to contend with. Researchers are hesitant to call it chemical irritation, because, well, it isn't necessarily annoying. It's a sensibility that allows us to feel the tingling carbonation of a brew or the bitterness of hops. Just don't expect to feel anything the morning after. Except maybe a headache. Mon., June 7, 3 p.m., $45, London Grill, 2301 Fairmount Ave., 215-978-4545, londongrill.com.

(editorial@citypaper.net)