news
  • ongoing
    exhibition

    we had the pleasure to co-curate the new MAK Design Lab at the Museum of applied Arts in Vienna. Within the permanent exhibition one can find as well a few of our projects like 'the idea of a tree', 'limited moths' or 'LeveL

    MAK Design Lab

  • dec. 2022
    acquisition

    we are happy that our project 'Access' was acquired by the High Museum of Art, Atlanta.
    thanks a lot.
    The project 'Access' is a set of six drinking glasses, confronting people with the global distribution of clean drinking water.

    High Museum of Art Atlanta

till you stop – cake decoration machine

how much is too much?

  • year 2010

  • categories Kinetic & Interactive Installations
    Processes / Machines & Their unique Results

  • commissioned by

    MAK Vienna

  • 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 platform

    cake:
    cake, sugar fondant, sugar glazing

  • dimensions

    machine:
    40,5  x 65  x 76 cm

    cake:
    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