There, encased in steel and glass and glowing from a string of well-placed LED lights, were all of Buffalo's most identifiable architectural treasures, melted, collapsed, and pressing against the pane. Yesterday, at high noon (on what must have been one of Buffalo's hottest September days ever), several top decorators arrived with cars chock-full of teetering, monstrous odes to great city buildings--all made of cake. By last night, they looked as if they'd been there for days rather than hours.
The installation, which can be found on the lawn of the Buffalo & Erie County Historical Society, is the brainchild of artists Mark Dion and Dana Sherwood and is part of Beyond/In Western New York. Entitled The Confectionery Wonder of Buffalo, Dion and Sherwood's vision is said to celebrate "the city's diverse architecture and local craftsmanship." "The cakes' ceremonial decadence and vibrant colors resemble the radiant edifices of the "Rainbow City" (as the Pan-American Exposition was affectionately termed), while the vitrine reinforces the idea of Buffalo as a timeless architectural museum."
Presumably, over the course of the next three months, the exhibit will decay, mold and change. "The work may therefore be read as a symbol of the city's burgeoning conservation movement, while at the same time affording the opportunity for new ecologies and growth."
The installation, which was curated by Cori Wolff of Buffalo Arts Studio, contains cakes made by Sherwood herself, but also by local pastry shops. Delish, Dessert Deli, Dolci and Zillycakes all contributed work, some of which were creative interpretations of well-known buildings while others were dead-on replicas. Buildings represented include the Pan American Exhibition's Temple of Music and Electric Tower (brought to life by Zillycakes with bolts of yellow hard candy shooting from its spire), as well as Kleinhans, St. Paul's, the Prudential Building, a breathtaking version of The Richardson Complex and others.
Sunday will mark the opening for this exhibit, and any and all are encouraged to attend. It takes place from 1 p.m. - 2 p.m. at the Buffalo & Erie County Historical Society.
Buffalo & Erie County Historical Society
25 Nottingham Court
Buffalo, NY 14216
(716) 873-9644
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The installation, which can be found on the lawn of the Buffalo & Erie County Historical Society, is the brainchild of artists Mark Dion and Dana Sherwood and is part of Beyond/In Western New York. Entitled The Confectionery Wonder of Buffalo, Dion and Sherwood's vision is said to celebrate "the city's diverse architecture and local craftsmanship." "The cakes' ceremonial decadence and vibrant colors resemble the radiant edifices of the "Rainbow City" (as the Pan-American Exposition was affectionately termed), while the vitrine reinforces the idea of Buffalo as a timeless architectural museum."
Presumably, over the course of the next three months, the exhibit will decay, mold and change. "The work may therefore be read as a symbol of the city's burgeoning conservation movement, while at the same time affording the opportunity for new ecologies and growth."
The installation, which was curated by Cori Wolff of Buffalo Arts Studio, contains cakes made by Sherwood herself, but also by local pastry shops. Delish, Dessert Deli, Dolci and Zillycakes all contributed work, some of which were creative interpretations of well-known buildings while others were dead-on replicas. Buildings represented include the Pan American Exhibition's Temple of Music and Electric Tower (brought to life by Zillycakes with bolts of yellow hard candy shooting from its spire), as well as Kleinhans, St. Paul's, the Prudential Building, a breathtaking version of The Richardson Complex and others.
Sunday will mark the opening for this exhibit, and any and all are encouraged to attend. It takes place from 1 p.m. - 2 p.m. at the Buffalo & Erie County Historical Society.
Buffalo & Erie County Historical Society
25 Nottingham Court
Buffalo, NY 14216
(716) 873-9644
i went by and saw it last night. we live with the horror and ofter powerlessness associated with at-risk buildings every day, some of them quite significant (statler, central terminal, richardson, need i go on?). making little cake versions to rot and mold mocks and trivializes a life and death issue in buffalo.
I think your words speak volumes. Most people associate cancer with life and death, not bricks and mortar. I always knew the preservation radicals in this city had their priorities out of whack and that’s why can’t even get a basic list together, but really life and death? Somehow I feel differently when a building comes down vs. loosing a loved one.
i never suggested that losing a building is morally equivalent to losing a human being, but you're free to read that into it and work yourself into a snit if you really want to.
i do stand by my view that losing signature buildings is a life and death issue for this particular city -- its identity, economy, future, livability, and sustainability. i resent having the destruction of the larkin caricatured in pastry.
You never suggested it, what than, you just implied it. Read your f-ing comment. I guess it would be a life or death issue if people are in the building when it gets demo'd, otherwise, your priorities are whacked. Go volunteer at Roswell for a week or two and see if you feel the same way.
snit duly noted.
"life and death" is a saying, dude. Take a chill pill and/or your meds.
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"i resent having the destruction of the larkin caricatured in pastry."
You feel resentment toward pasty art about a building demolished over 60 years ago that even FLW said should be demoed? Why so intolerant? If that can't be caricatured in pastry, what can?
Maybe there should be more pastry art as a healthy outlet for many outrages around here. Tall cakes could mock the highways a few of you hate so much. Could a blueberry pie be shaped as the Canisius blue wall?
a part of me died when i read your comment