wedding cake machine
momentix labs
year
2022
role
co-designer, fabricator, and installation. team of two
press
Vogue
video credit
chris hardwick
photo credit
abigail lewis
client brief
Create a Rube Goldberg Machine installation for client's wedding that cuts the cake and doubles as a cocktail lounge area. Blend elements from the bride's chinese heritage and surreal maximalist aesthetic with elements from the groom's life, specifically his love of magic tricks and an ode to his grandfather's work in chemistry.
guiding themes
- clash of time, culture, curiosity, and invention
- connecting the unexpected
- magic + illusion
presented 8 wall concepts and 2 cake cutting concepts to the client
worked with the client to finalize 2 wall concepts and 1 cake cutting mechanism
process
concept sketch cardboard and foam prototype final
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a Rube Goldberg Machine designed to cut a six tier wedding cake. The installation doubled as an art lounge for guests during cocktail hour. The machine moved across two 6ft x 8ft free-standing walls
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wall 1 was designed to reflect the bride: maximalist aesthetic featuring custom wallpaper adapted from her artwork, photos of her family, and odes to her Chinese heritage.
wall 2 was designed to reflect the groom. The laboratory theme serves as an nod to his chemist grandfather. The surrealist nature of the composition in combination with mechanisms that turn on, light up, and levitate speak to the groom's lifelong love of magic and magic tricks.
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The final mechanism was a falling bottle that opened an adapted grandfather clock, releasing a samurai sword onto the cake.
Confetti cannons were also triggered.
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