RIISKA DESIGN BLOG   |Woodworking Poetics

Here you see the marshmallows naked.  The poor little creatures are exposed to the elements like turtles without shells.

That is why I built the confectionery puffs a wooden shell to disguise and protect them from them from things like rain, insects, and according to one marshmallow box owner, even little brothers.

These little cubes of Douglas Fir hold exactly one marshmallow.  When they are lined up together they look like a wooden quilt.

These are the lids.

In order to fully understand and study the marshmallows I branded them for tacking purposes.  Although it seems cruel the marshmallows feel nothing.  The high pitch squealing noises they make when the laser etches into their skin are not cries of pain rather air escaping from their soft outer puffed sugar membranes.

Here the laser brands the marshmallows lined up in rows.

These Marshmallows will be set free on the Ford and Ching Ranch and are appropriately branded F & C.

The bottom of the marshmallow shells are branded with my last name.  Also for tracking purposes.

Here the boxes are on display at Dwell on Design.  In the morning the table was full and two hours later the herd quickly thinned out.

Willard Ford guards the marshmallow boxes at The Dwell on Design Show.

Often marshmallow predators can become aggressive and it is not uncommon for the marshmallow owners to use necessary force to defend there herds.  Here Andrea Ching is seen fending off a man who tried to take more than one marshmallow box.

Marshmallows are a common part of my culinary library.  From Rice Crispy treats to Smores at a campfire I love them.  When I met a friend from another country eating a smore for the first time, who had never seen a marshmallow before in her life, I suddenly recongnized how strange and wonderful this odd treat I took for granted was.  The Marshmallow box allows you to see the marshmallow for the wierd squishy soft jet puff of modern confectonary glory it truely is.  When the lid is removed from the box only the top third of the marshmallow sticks out making it look like a mushy button that is fun to poke.  I want to thank all the wonderful people who were nice enough to talk with me and share their marshmallow stories at Dwell on Design.  Plus I want to thank Andrea Ching and Willard Ford for all their hard work getting ready for the show.  Plus it was Andrea’s idea to brand the marshmallow.

Here is a picture of James Peterson of ArtContraptions.com.  I want to thank him because he is the secret genious who thought of branding the marshmallow with a laser and actually made it happen.

The Marshmallow Boxes were fun to make but making anything three hundred times is a lot of work.  I couldn’t have done it without the help of some very great people.  I want to thank my Marshmallow Crew: Magenta Pinuethai, Cheeyoon Chun, (pictured above)  Ali Sykes, Chris Leese, Austin Baker, Jenny Comperda and Mat Lee for volinteering their time and helping me create my stupid ideas.  Without them the marshmallow boxes would have just been a thought.  Thank You Everybody!  You are all number one!  Even though technically that is impossible.  Unless. . .you are all number one at different things.

Disseminate

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