Chocolate Mill

July 26, 2014 5:20 AM

Chocolate Mill was comprised of a giant cylindrical chocolate block that was carefully organized in 10 stacked layers, with flavored shapes used to create different geometric patterns. As a crank-turned blade similar to a cheese slicer grazed shavings off the top, the hidden layers were slowly revealed.
posted by frimble (20 comments total)

Chocolate + art = awesome. I hope this beautiful objet tastes just as good as it looks. Thanks for the post.
posted by GrammarMoses at 5:40 AM on July 26, 2014 [1 favorite]

Amazing. It looks like the shaver had to use a tremendous amount of force to hold down the blade as s/he walked around the sculpture, and their shoes slipped on the floor as they did so. That says something to me about the effort it takes to reveal art...or something. Also, I want to eat all the shavings. Can I be a part of the next installation?
posted by xingcat at 6:08 AM on July 26, 2014

I don't get it. Looks like hours upon hours of meticulous work went into making the cylinder (I'd like to see a time lapse montage of that process, actually), and then the only people who get to witness the reveal are the two people who have to strive to precipitate it, at the end of which all that's left are random chocolate shavings. I hope they're trying to say someing about art or the creative process, and/or got paid handsomely, othwerwise what's the point? It looks cool but that can't be all there is to it, no?
posted by STFUDonnie at 6:42 AM on July 26, 2014 [5 favorites]

Art: 1, Tasty Treat: 0.

Beautiful, and interesting to watch the shapes appear, but I was very sad that it said nothing about who got to eat the chocolate.
posted by routergirl at 6:53 AM on July 26, 2014 [4 favorites]

This is neat, but I'd love to see more about how it was actually made. And know that someone got to eat the chocolate. I mean, if you're not going to eat the chocolate, why not just use wax?
posted by jferg at 7:12 AM on July 26, 2014 [1 favorite]

That video was oddly soothing and now I want chocolate.
posted by Xany at 7:12 AM on July 26, 2014

What no smiley face?
posted by RolandOfEld at 7:26 AM on July 26, 2014

All that wasted chocolate...
posted by Maias at 7:35 AM on July 26, 2014 [1 favorite]

Ok but even more importantly there is a link on the bottom of the page to purchase an anatomically correct edible chocolate human skull.
posted by elizardbits at 8:22 AM on July 26, 2014 [4 favorites]

Looks like there was also a live performance, that involved the attendees eating the shavings. So that's good.
posted by freshwater at 9:21 AM on July 26, 2014

Finally, I've found my medium.
posted by Farce_First at 12:28 PM on July 26, 2014

I'd like to see this performed in tandem with Beckett's Not I.
posted by Pudhoho at 12:30 PM on July 26, 2014

A small modification to the design of the table to add a sort of moat around the base of the cylinder could have prevented the loss of so much delicious chocolate. Won't someone think of the delicious chocolate?
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 1:14 PM on July 26, 2014

Ok but even more importantly there is a link on the bottom of the page to purchase an anatomically correct edible chocolate human skull.

yea, those look amazing! An artist friend of mine also makes those.
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 1:17 PM on July 26, 2014

I don't get it. Looks like hours upon hours of meticulous work went into making the cylinder (I'd like to see a time lapse montage of that process, actually), and then the only people who get to witness the reveal are the two people who have to strive to precipitate it, at the end of which all that's left are random chocolate shavings

Didn't we all just get to witness it?
posted by yoink at 2:17 PM on July 26, 2014 [1 favorite]

It's a chocolate mandala, sort of.
posted by Foosnark at 2:18 PM on July 26, 2014 [1 favorite]

It seems like the main point of this whole demonstration was to make a film but the film was full of pausing, cleaning, temporarily placing things on the block, people in the way, etc. Sometimes there were shavings around the outside, then they would pause and clean them, then even more shots of people's feet. I found it incredibly hard to just watch the shapes being revealed. It's like the went to all this work to make the block and then to shave it only to totally fuck up the filming of it. Or maybe it was more about the process of making this happen. Next time, how about they just drop off the chocolate at my house and they can go film themselves trying to move impossibly large rocks.
posted by Foam Pants at 2:19 PM on July 26, 2014 [1 favorite]

I would like to see video of that block of chocolate being made.
posted by rifflesby at 2:35 PM on July 26, 2014

I would like to see video of that block of chocolate being made.

Yeah, that seems like it would have been more interesting. Or if they had gone at it with a blowtorch. I mean, they knew what the designs would be since they shaved in the orientation they were made in... no surprises there. Why not carve it into a bust of Willy Wonka or let mice chew tunnels through it? Actually I think I would have really enjoyed a time-lapse of it left out in the sun, with people all round wiping up melted chocolate with strawberries and marshmallows.
posted by oneirodynia at 3:48 PM on July 26, 2014

Not chocolate, but related: David Daniels' strata-cut animation.
posted by narain at 10:07 PM on July 26, 2014