These colorful works by Spanish architects Marta Alonso Yebra and Imanol Caldern Elsegui will fool you. At first glance, they might look like stained glass, but they’re actually melted gummy bears. The decorative wall hangings are called “light boxes,” and they delight us with their gorgeous hues and exquisite marbling. Plus, Yebra and Elsegui’s handiwork has a faint fruity smell to it.
Yerba first developed the unusual technique as an art student. She wanted to work with glass, but it was too expensive, and melting plastic produced too many harmful effects. The inspiration for using gummy bears happened as she was snacking on some. Yerba told Wired, “I realized, wait: This is very beautiful, and it’s similar to plastic, but we can eat it. I was sure if I melted it, it wouldn’t be toxic.”
Each light box uses about two pounds of candy, or six standard bags of Haribo candy (her brand of choice). The bears are melted and form a gelatinous paint, and it’s then swirled and applied on methacrylate sheets. After the compositions are cool, they return to a solid state and are suitable for hanging. Purchase your own gummy bear art through MAYICE, Yebra and Elsegui’s design studio.
MAYICE website
via [Wired, FWx, and Laughing Squid]