2/23/2006: London in biscuits

72,000 biscuits -- or, you know, "cookies" -- were used to put together this installation called "Eating the City" by Song Dong (no, that's the guy's name). It's a model of London. It was displayed for the last week in Selfridge's department store. And now, they're eating it. Yes, they are, the general public is invited to hunker down.

Actually, that's the whole point. This Guardian article explains Mr. Dong's approach:

"The purpose of my work is for the city I build to be destroyed," Dong says. "I don't have a particular city to copy from, nor a particular architectural style. I am merely following the town planning of the present day."

Dong's biscuit cities - he has built five so far - were inspired by the speed of change and urban development in China. "The expansion of a city is caused by our desire. As cities in Asia grow, old buildings are knocked down and new ones built, almost every day. Some cities have even been built from scratch in 20 years.

"My city will be built of sweets and biscuits, making it tempting and delicious. When we are eating the city we are using our desire to taste it, but at the same time, we're demolishing the city and turning it into a ruin."

As a seasoned 'dunker' I would go for the 'Custard Creams' and the 'Chocolate Hob-nobs' myself. Have been known to demolish half a packet with a single cuppa once I get going.

BTW where's Tower Bridge and the Houses of Parliament - don't wish to over-critical of Mr Song Dong but I can't see much to say this is London as opposed to anywhere else that has a selection of high rise biscu.. sorry buildings.

... or has someone eaten them already?

Got milk?

Compare and contrast:

- Coin architecture
- Salad bar hacking [all you can eat, but one bowl only]

What, no little chocolate-coated whale biscuit in the Thames?

ahhhh ya know I just got my order of Girl Scout cookies...
what to build??

Looks like he had to rely pretty heavily on Fig Newtons and those crispy thin sugar wafer cookies. Imagine what he could have done with Oreos and Nutter Butters!

I don't see any landmarks I recognize as Londinium, but I wouldn't touch anything from Soho.

Ick, I mean really - all those cookies he's touched and everyone else has sneezed or breathed on and people are really eating them?

I don't so much mind people I know touching my food but crowds of strangers? Nope, not me.

The looks on the childrens faces are awesome. Cookie Jenga, Anyone?

Cookie (biscuit) city or real city, they all go to sh*t, eventually.

I want Big Ben, that's all I have to say. I wonder what it was made out of?

Can't stand it any longer. I must say (oh yes I must... I must..):

Those aren't cookies.... They're Newtons!

Somebody needs to invent the sugar stick hot sugar/glue gun. Replace the glue sticks with sugar. Prolly work good here. As soon as they complete their work on the solar powered flashlight.

Thanks Wolf. Interesting. I always wondered what they used.

..and I was headed to the patent office.

Could you modify it and turn it into a high-velocity sugar cannon?

For some reason when I saw the title of this ITOD, "London in Biscuits" I was reminded of the opening line of that song, "April in Paris"