The Market Between the Worlds A Street Market of Visual, Edible, and Intellectual Art

Overview

In the very beginning of conceptualizing this project, I played with ideas based around the theme/inspiration of "The Wood Between the Worlds" from C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia's The Magician's Nephew. The design changed, but the name stuck. My worlds of baking and art, though taking place in entirely different places or rooms usually, have a great deal of intersection, overlap, and influence with each other.

The etymology, the root and origin, of "imagine" lies in Latin. Referencing both "imagine" and the root "image," the word means imagine as conception, self-reflection and representation. It's a truly pure blend of the visual and conceptual. As bouquets reflect the gardens they come from, a market reflects its makers, and in this display, components to create both food and visual art may be used in harmony.

Makerspace technologies, and this project, challenge us and provide the opportunity to pursue a physical realization of an imagination - in portrayal, perception, and purpose. Makerspaces open for discussion the what, why, and how of availability. Though admittedly this was not an initially deliberate design purpose, the setting of a market is quite reminiscent of "making" spaces. People may go individually, in groups, for business, pleasure, to browse, to purchase, with a purpose, just for fun. We create gifts, personal smiles, moments, and memories. My market tables are all connected, though my may not seem like it initially. Each small creation exists on its own, and those who visit or view may find some more intriguing than others, but just as with a song, we don't always have to hear the harmony to feel its impact. Sometimes we find freedom, such a nebulous term, in the definite, in the minute.

The Planning Process

I have loved book nooks ever since I first heard of them, so this project was an exciting opportunity if not also excuse to pursue designing one. Once deciding upon the market theme, I outlined a couple options on paper, though the images do not reflect all of the versions or considerations. A number of elements were also deemed flexible or optional depending on difficulties and time constraints.

The technologies selected to create the finished product were: Laser Cutting, 3D Printing, Paper Crafts, and Ceramics. Some variation exists, with the addition or combination of painting, and fairy lights. The above were selected for their practicality in support and stability, and flexibility for sizing and customization. Designs were changed or simplified in the editing process, but with the exception of one, all were originally planned with the same technology in mind. The outlier was the flower stands. Originally, I had intended to laser cut circles into wooden shelves, to then put 3D printed or clay buckets in, oversized to stay firmly in place. However, constructing the open design of the wooden structure to be visually appealing, not limit the bucket size, and remain stable, proved too difficult for the space constraints.

Makerspaces, making technologies, the techniques and even philosophies behind all of it are of constant subject for discussion, debate, and practice. My book nook is not "perfect" in the modern sense, but I do believe it is perfect according to the etymology of that word. In short, it means to do something fully, completely. I like that my book nook tells a story, relates to my personal story and love of art, baking, and books all my life, but even if someone just thinks it's cool or pretty, I think that's wonderful. Hopefully, there's something about the book nook that everyone can enjoy in some way.

The Design Creation

Each section of the design had to have the collection of detailed components completed before final assembly could be confirmed. The laser cut and 3D prints were the first priority, to confirm sizing as well as meet time limitations. The cleaning and painting of the laser cuts followed, as the laser burns leave easy stains without this step, otherwise, the wood would have potentially been left as is. However, the white paint also made a small contribution to helping brighten the small space, in addition to painting the 3D prints a light blue.

Making the books, flowers, art designs, and baked goods comprised the subsequent and largest portion of project design. These were often worked on simultaneously to efficiently make use of the drying and baking (clay) times for the different components. The paper and origami containers were subsequently completed. Each section/table was then separately assembled to check and refine visual and practical final design. The final stretch involved the wall designs being printed and pasted on, painting of the ceiling (sky), placement of fairy lights, and the paper awnings. The picture in the back is one I took at a botanical garden, I made it slightly opaque so it would brighten but not distract too much.

To go into more detail now, the books are of course plywood, painted, then wrapped in paper to mimic a book cover. There are two books on each side of the table glued down to keep the rest in place. Any book stall at a market I have ever visited always appears almost overflowing, so I wanted that area to really appear full. I included books, as though I don't typically make my own books, I absolutely adore them. And, they are an inspiration in both my art and baking, in color, recipe, design, medium, and more. They stand on their own, but have an immense impact in my life.

The "food flowers" were all made from clay and two forms of wire, one a thick and wrapped wire, the other thin. After forming each flower and ensuring a space for the wire, the clay was baked and then painted and the wires glued to be the stems. Matches were changed more than once, but the flower each food item mimics was chosen for the close resemblance in color and design, though not in size proportion of course. The food items were chosen for their resemblance of flowers, and though I use them in baking in varying frequencies, I do use them all. For both the food and art flowers, I created paper wraps to be used in theory of making a bouquet to take home from the market. The full list of the food flowers is as follows:

• Grape Hyacinths --> Blueberries (Look closely at the bottom of each to see the change especially)
• Filler sticks --> Cinnamon sticks
• Roses --> Apple slices (Apple roses, particularly in tarts, are actually done with some popularity. The pink rims are the apple peel)
• Craspedia --> Lemons
• Hydrangeas --> Raspberries

The "art flowers" were made with the two types of wire, and each flower is a combination of a glue and that particular art medium. Each combination was mixed separately, then each petal made individually, to dry on wax paper. Then, each flower was created by gluing each individual petal to the stem. These matches were also chosen for a close association in potential color and appearance. The full list of the art flowers is as follows:

• Stock - Tea (Though edible of course, I often enjoy painting with tea and tea leaves)
• Tulips - Acrylic Paint
• Black Iris - Charcoal (I ground charcoal into a powder dust to mix with the glue)
• Eucalyptus - Graphite (As with the charcoal, I created a powder first, scraping off the pencils)
• Lavender - Watercolor Paint

The art table has three 3D printed boxes of 12 miniature paintings or drawings, using three mediums I use frequently: acrylic, graphite, and watercolor. Just for variation, the acrylic paintings are landscapes, the pencil drawings are animals, and the watercolors are flowers. The boxes are glued down, but each artwork is freely moveable.

The baked goods table has items all made of clay, then painted after baking. The back line is moveable with each individual item, though the paper bases are glued down. The front line is glued down as well, but the napkin folds for each are not. The yellow has chocolate chip scones, the pink is cake, and on the right in green are lavender macarons. I bake scones the most frequently, personally, but thought these would be a good three to choose for their differences in texture, colors, and size/shape.