Celebrating a Love of Food with an Installation at Assembly Chef's Hall

If you've been reading blog posts or newsletters of mine or we've had a conversation in the past couple of years, chances are the topic of being a multi-passionate — or a multi-potentialite, as the cool kids are calling it these days — has come up. 

Since shedding my title as boutique owner three years ago, I've gone through various phases of a mild identity crisis as I struggle to determine "what I do", or what my official title is. Though I still don't always have a simple answer to the question, and it likely depends on who's asking and what the circumstances are (or, if I'm being totally honest, what kind of mood I'm in), I have made pretty significant strides since those early days.

Part of that progress has to do with not boxing myself in too tightly, which is how we've ended up here, with the Studio Bicyclette team and I adding "installation artists" to our ever-growing resumé and list of skills. And I'm not mad about it one bit.

I want to dive into the BTS photos and showcase the process, but first I wanted to touch on this experience a little bit. When the team from Assembly Chef's Hall first contacted me, they needed an idea, a proposal and a quote within hours (not even kidding), so not only was it a challenge from a "we've never actually done this sort of thing before" perspective, but also because the timelines were tight and there was a lot of back and forth to iron out the details every step of the way. To the point that though we started chatting about the project about a month and a half before the actual installation and launch party date, when it came down to it, we only really had just over a week for the actual execution once everything was said and done. These are the moments when I have legitimate nightmares about all the little things that could go wrong because of how little time we have, and I find myself awake in the middle of the night googling where to find fake food locally. More on that in a second.

So it all started with a concept proposal, similar to how I begin any project, really. There was an overview of the idea, some inspiration images for reference, and a rough mockup of the concept. That then went through countless iterations as we went back and forth and fine-tuned the idea, accounting for changes that needed to made due to the actual space. For example, we went from originally conceptualizing a 3-walled structure to installing directly on one of the walls in the space and keeping the sides open. Lots of that. Then, finally, we had sign-off and we were able to move forward. 

After the details and the wording was confirmed, that's when we were able to officially order the giant letters (which are a high-density foam, believe it or not) and the vinyl, which would cover the back wall and a "spotlight" section on the floor. And the intense prop shopping began. Let me tell you — the options for realistic looking fake food is kind of insane, and there are some pretty amazing options locally, believe it or not. So if you're ever in need, I know all the secrets. 

Shall we begin? Below is a little photo recap of the experience putting together the installation. If you want to see it in person (and eat some amazing food, while you're at it), head on down to Assembly for the full effect.

And if you're looking to bring a crazy idea to life or need an installation? You know where to find us!