Speed-dating in Toronto just got a little more sensory.
This weekend, 15 strangers will get acquainted with one another via the smell of their dirty shirts, the sound of their voices, and the taste of their favourite comfort foods.
It’s called Speed-Dating for the Senses and it’s the brainchild of Montreal-based Scientists for Love, who are in town for the SummerWorks performance festival.
It actually started as a bit of a joke.
It’s described as “part speed-dating, part performance art, and part science” by its creators, the event involves five different experiments involving sound, touch, scent, and sight.
It works in a backwards sort of way compared to traditional dating, when sight is usually the first factor. The idea is for the participants to explore the role of the senses in attraction and compatibility.
Scientists for Love have already held four successful speed-dating events in Montreal. And tonight, it goes down in Toronto for straight singles, with another on Sunday for the LGBTQ community.
In both cases, 30 singles will arrive at a top-secret location in the west-end, where they’ll be blindfolded and brought into the same room. In the first experiment, pairs will be instructed to recite the alphabet to one another before deciding on whether they like the sound of the other’s voice.
In another, the participants will spend 30 seconds touching each other’s hands.
Then the blindfolds come off and the “taste” experiment begins (no, not like that – get your mind out of the gutter). It involves sampling a buffet of comfort foods that the other sex has brought in, which could range from chocolate and strawberries to quinoa.
After the “taste test” comes the scent test.
In this experiment, the participants open up a zip-lock bag that contains a t-shirt carrying the scent of its owner. It would basically smell the same way as holding the other person in your arms or hugging them.
In the final stage, participants are led to another room, where they’re instructed to stand two-feet apart from one another as they remove their blindfolds and get a first glimpse of the other person.
Next, they’re told to gaze into the other person’s eyes for 15 seconds – the eyes are the windows to the soul, right? The experience could probably go one of two ways; it could either be weird and awkward, or a beautiful interaction.
Once the experiments are over, the participants are sent to a bar for one hour to await the results of their speed-dating marathon, which comes in chart form.
If both the online and the old-fashioned dating thing isn’t working for you, you may want to give it a try.
To register for $20, email scientistsforlove@gmail.com.
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