till you stop – cake decoration machine
how much is too much?
year 2010
categories Kinetic & Interactive Installations
Processes / Machines & Their unique Resultscommissioned by
curated by
Sam Jacobs
the whole machine
till you stop – cake decoration was designed for the exhibition “Design Criminals. Or a new joy into the world” – a cooperation of MAK and departure, curated by Sam Jacob. Various designers and architects were invited to continue the Viennese tradition of discourse on ‘Ornament and Crime’ and were asked to react to Design activities such as tattooing, hair dressing, or arranging flower, which usually happen outside design discourses.
till you stop – cake decoration deals with a cake decoration method that allows the customer/visitor to decide how much decoration is applied onto their cake. A simple machine decorates the cake with lines (similar to a Spirograph) and continuously decorates until the customer/visitor decides to stop the decoration process. Then in a second process sugar pearls are dropped onto the glazing. The decor is continuously changing and the costumer/visitor decides whether he prefers a simple ornament or a more complex one. Once the decoration machine is stopped it can not be started again.
The project reflects, on the one hand, the industry behind decoration (industrialized image vs. the romantic imagination) and on the other hand it should trigger people to think about the amount of decoration they actually like.
Since 2011 till you stop – cake decoration machine is part of the permanent collection of the MAK (museum of applied Arts Vienna)
all cakes with different decoration times and patterns
pattern of pink sugar glazing
sophie, leonie and daniela m.
decoration time 1,5 min + 1 min
“Of course I wanted to make more turns of the sugar glazing, but the children wouldn’t be patient enough. Nevertheless we managed two full turns of silverpearls.” –
S.: “Like this it’s classy”
natascha n.
decoration time: 3 min + 0,5 min
"i though if it's almost balanced it must become beautiful. Not too much and not too little."
maria p.
decoration time: 7 min + 0 min
"you know, I have a lot of time and watching the machine was quite interesting. That kind of pattern - you can not do it as beautiful by hand. But silverpearls would have been too much."
people watching and interacting with the machine during the MAK Designnite at the museum
people watching and interacting with the machine during the MAK Designnite at the museum
people could either bring the cake home, or eat it right away
-
material
machine:
aluminium, various motors, spinning platformcake:
cake, sugar fondant, sugar glazing -
dimensions
machine:
40,5 x 65 x 76 cmcake:
Ø 16 cm -
developed for
“Design Criminals. Or a new Joy into the world” exhibition curated by Sam Jacob
-
collection
part of the permanent collection of the MAK Vienna