When I think of fascinating candy, I think of Willy Wonka. Nerds, Kazoozles, Shockers, Fun Dip, Pixy Stix, Everlasting Gobstoppers and of course, Wonka Bars. In fact, my childhood self was so fascinated by Everlasting Gobstoppers and how they work, that I wrote a haiku about them in 4th grade, which landed a proudly displayed spot on the wall in the school. That’s dedication to candy. But I’m not sure even Mr. Wonka or I have the kind of dedication that a group of people recently showed when they craftily blended that wonderful stuff we know as chocolate — with art.
Based on concepts from the Dutch furniture designer and architect Gerrit Rietveld, the team at Studio Wieki Somers combined design and sweetness forces with chocolatier Rafael Mutter on the project known as Chocolate Mill. The vitra design museum featured the project in the confrontations exhibition to celebrate a global weakness: the sweet tooth. Using a giant cylindrical block, they carefully crafted 10 decadent layers of cocoa-based confection and filled them with flavored shapes and rosettes. They then shaved them off a little at a time using a crank-turned blade that acts similar to a cheese slicer. You can see the emerging layers of geometric patterns in the time lapse video of the shaving process. It is breathtaking, inspiring, and just plain neat.
And it is making me hungry.
ADVERTISEMENT
