A feast for the senses: Marshmallow Laser Feast

A name like Marshmallow Laser Feast might sound bizarre, but it perfectly captures the fusion of sensory wonder (Marshmallow), cutting-edge technology (Laser), and shared experience (Feast) at the heart of the artist collective’s experimental practice. 

All the work we make carries a message about wonderment and our inseparability from nature, expanding people’s perception and understanding of that relationship.

“The name is more of an expression, a North Star that we’re paddling towards or an imaginary experiential scenario we might find ourselves in,” explains Robin McNicholas, Co-founder and Creative Director of the award-winning creative studio, as we catch up after his and EP Nell Whitley’s playful keynote talk at OFFF Festival, Barcelona.  

Above: In the Eyes of the Animal (2015), commissioned by Abandon Normal Devices and Forestry Commission England’s Forest Art Works, explores forests through the perceptions of four woodland species - above image is through the eyes of a mosquito.

As a self-defined ‘experiential artist collective’, MLF brings together scientists, philosophers, poets, designers and writers in an ever-evolving practice aiming to spark curiosity and reignite connection with the natural world. “All the work we make carries a message about wonderment and our inseparability from nature, expanding people’s perception and understanding of that relationship,” McNicholas says.  

Their passion for all things organic is intertwined with a mission to make digital art feel physical, turning 2D work into a whimsical world you can literally step inside. “When we first started working together, we came from design, photography, film and television, with a hunger to occupy 3D space rather than screens,” adds Nell Whitley. “We cherry-pick from film, theatre, games, architecture and design, applying the best parts of each to the experiential space.” 

We cherry-pick from film, theatre, games, architecture and design, applying the best parts of each to the experiential space.

McNicholas, whose background was in live TV at the BBC, was working in the music industry on live AV shows when he met artist Barnaby Steel, and the pair co-founded Marshmallow Laser Feast in 2011. “The work initially evolved as creative coding and finding opportunities to be creative with technology,” McNicholas explains, but the collective reached a pivotal moment when Nell Whitley joined as Executive Producer. “I’d known the guys for years,” she says. “I produced In the Eyes of the Animal, which we made about ten years ago for Abandon Normal Devices.” 

Above: Behind the scenes of making  Eyes Of The Animal. 

As the group’s first major VR work, that project set the tone for the immersive, sensory experiences they would go on to create. It premiered at Sundance, proving there was real potential for this kind of work not only in the commercial sphere, but also in cultural and educational spaces. 

The technology should become invisible, so the visitor is fully immersed. It’s about creating a suspension of disbelief.

Since then, MLF have collaborated with and exhibited at institutions including the BFI Film Fund, Barbican Centre and Kew’s Royal Botanic Gardens. Their recent project Sweet Dreams, developed with the BFI Film Fund, blends film, theatre and digital production to create a surreal, walk-through narrative exploring the absurdity of fast-food mascots, consumer culture and ultra-processed products. “We worked with set designers, prop makers, and used virtual production, digital puppetry, 2D and 3D animation, and AI, combining digital and physical worlds,” McNicholas explains. “It was a one-hour processional story about a fast-food mascot, Chicky Ricky, experiencing an existential crisis; a spatial story blending film, theatre, and games.” 

Above: Sweet Dreams, MLF's multi-sensory experience taking over AVIVA Studios at Factory International.

Meanwhile, their immersive installation for the Science and Media Museum in Bradford, created for City of Culture, invited visitors to discover their connection to the universe, exploring the web of relationships that bond people and the natural world together. “We work with brands occasionally, but most of our current work is educational, commissioned by cultural institutions. We also create our own work, which follows more of a film model”, explains Nell.  

If the tech doesn’t exist, we work with designers and mechatronics experts to create it.

As AR and VR become more accessible and audiences crave real-world experiences, ‘experiential’ has become the buzzword of the moment. From social media stunts to OOH activations, everything is being labelled immersive or experiential. But for Marshmallow Laser Feast, immersion is more than a trend; it’s a philosophy that’s driven their past 15 years of work.  

Above: Of the Oak in Kew Gardens, 2025.

“We’ve got a complicated relationship with the word ‘immersive’," says Whitley. “It can mean anything from immersive theatre to bubble museums. For us, it’s about world-building; crafting experiences that feel authentic. Brands can do that too, if they’re genuinely themselves.” 

“Audiences can quickly sense artifice,” adds McNicholas. “For us, immersion comes from something deeply engaging and meaningful. The technology should become invisible, so the visitor is fully immersed. It’s about creating a suspension of disbelief. 

AI can get you 80% of the way, but that last 20% is where the real craft comes in. It’s fascinating to see how old and new crafts collide.

This seamless blend of innovative and traditional technologies, brought together by a uniquely skilled team of creatives and experts, allows MLF to build spaces that feel real and deeply engaging. Their toolkit spans real-time virtual production, game engines and VR, and when the right technology doesn’t exist, they build it themselves. “If the tech doesn’t exist, we work with designers and mechatronics experts to create it,” says McNicholas. “For example, we once created a breath sensor to emulate blowing on a dandelion to make it disperse.” 

Above: Seeing Echoes in the Mind of the Whale, The Ocean Speaks Exhibition commissioned by Fundación Telefónica and DHub (Disseny Hub Barcelona).

The collective also find inventive ways to repurpose older tech, like using haptic feedback (the same vibration found in smartphones) in backpacks to simulate the flutter of dragonfly wings. “The idea always comes first, then we find or make the tech to execute it,” says Whitley. And while simple tools often offer clever solutions, AI has become an equally valuable part of their process. “We used it in projects like Sweet Dreams and our exhibition for Fundación Telefónica in Madrid,” she adds. “AI can get you 80% of the way, but that last 20% is where the real craft comes in. It’s fascinating to see how old and new crafts collide.” 

We believe technology can expand our understanding of nature if used creatively – to reveal and illuminate, not replace.

Although technologies are constantly advancing, mastering a new tool is often the easier part of creating an experience. Tech can be leveraged and adapted to solve problems in the design phase, but human behaviour is far less predictable. “Humans never behave as you expect,” laughs Whitley. For example, at a recent exhibition,children started swinging on the interactive selfie rings like monkeys. “It’s funny, but it teaches us a lot,” she says. “There’s always tension between planning and discovery. We often find the best ideas once we start building.”