Food is never just ‘food’. It is much more, particularly in today’s environment where creators try and find inspiration in every substance. Multiple scientific, technological, and design-based advancements can be seen in the production and consumption of foods. Its creative element has a special relationship with Design and Arts. When the food blends with Architecture, it ends up with incredible edible moments and a treat to eye. Food Architecture is the practice of designing and fabricating foods to build a specific aesthetic and function. A blend of factors like aesthetics, costs, timelines, safety, and the material properties results in inspiring, visionary, and interactive food sculptures that nourish our creative minds.
Architects and designers across the world have worked on the concept of 'Food Architecture' in exciting ways! Using ingredients like chocolate, candy, pasta, and bread, multiple artists have proved that 'Food is Art'. In the world of IG reels, sculptures created out of food materials like chocolate and cakes by renowned chefs are getting viral every day.
Designers like Caitlin Levin and Henry Hargreaves have recreated seven popular Art Galleries using Gingerbread and Candy. The food artists used a traditional food item and reinvented the medium through their work. Glass, walls and curved surfaces of the famous galleries were all made from candy. They've recreated galleries like the MAS Antwerp and Zaha Hadid's Maxxi in Rome.
Another project that combines Architecture with Food includes the Edible Architecture of Chocolate developed by Universal Favorite. The shapes include a small flight of stairs combined with other geometric forms interlocking each other. Flavors like Blackcurrant, Vanilla, Watermelon, and Lemon combine together to form edible structures. The project was developed keeping in mind the connection between the pieces which are to be eaten as one.
If you love pasta, this next project is for you! Italian set designer Gemma Tickle and photographer Aaron Tilley joined their creative minds to form some inspiring food sculptures. In order to pay homage to Italian architecture and cuisine, the duo used five different types of Pasta. Using this ingredient, they've created a stair, a floor, a Roman column, and a shingled roof. Fascinating, isn't it?
Food is a work of art that we happen to consume every day. Food Architecture is however a crossdisciplinary aspect that brings creativity, taste, and science to the table. The sensual journey of these creative pieces of Food Architecture is worthy of our praise and attention. Who knew that Gingerbread houses that we made as a kid would be considered architecture today? Crazy, right?
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Madhurima Chowdhury
Executive Editor - SURFACES REPORTER