A & S Dilemma

[alysten]

I have a dilemma.

I have Bubba, who represents a significant amount of research and work. He had a catastrophic injury (2x decapitation) and had to be duck taped together at the join. Really this was the best solution for the substandard cereal/marshmallow form. And as most of it was sugar covered, anything wet, like say plaster of paris (yes they used plaster in subtlety sugar work) would be detrimental to the sugar work already done. Water and sugar are a really bad mix.

Subtlety work could be mixed media, sugar, plaster, wax or other materials to help it last through out a banquet. Sugar is heavy. If there isn't support, bad things happen. The object of a subtlety is to successfully create the illusion of something, in this case a royal swan.The outer work is pretty much exactly what they would have done in late period England for sugar showpieces. Even the technique of forming sugar around a form is period. It was also period not to eat the sugar sculptures.

What isn't period, is my form is shaped rice crispies and marshmallow, with 2 yards of duck tape to stabilize the head and neck.

So LJ hivemind.... Is Bubba a project that can be entered as an A&S entry (full disclosure of course of non-period parts). Or is it best just to let him do his job holding down the head table?

Comments

[sitpadeshu.livejournal.com]

Would you have time to make a smaller version that had a more period core to enter into A&S?

[alysten.livejournal.com]

I do have the salt dish which is also period sugar work.

[sitpadeshu.livejournal.com]

It's probably easier to enter something like that. If you entered the swan you would have to have a good reason for not using a period fix for the broken head. :)

[liamstliam.livejournal.com]

IT'S DUCT TAPE!!!!!!!!!

No, I do not think you should enter it.

The Countess said "Yes."

[alysten.livejournal.com]

See and it's advice like that which gets me all sideways.

[alysten.livejournal.com]

Time.. yeah, that's were the process breaks down. 2.5 weeks to Yule and we have food to prep. ;-)

[katnboots.livejournal.com]

I feel that if you know where your creation is different and document how and why you did it that way, that's OK. But I've only entered one A&S contest, so I should not be listened to.

I suggest you ask the duck. Look him squarely in the eyes and pop the question. See what comes to you.

8-)

[alysten.livejournal.com]

Well considering he's a swan that I've been calling a goose... looking the duck in the eye, just might be a wise thing to do. ;-)

[katnboots.livejournal.com]

Anything else would just be fowl.

[woodwindy.livejournal.com]

Well, you can always enter just about anything as an A&S entry if you're brave enough! :D

What I've seen judges ask for in other scenarios is an explanation of why the non-period materials were used -- were the documentable materials too expensive, too challenging to work with, too poisonous (mmm, tasty medieval pigments!), whatever. If you could come up with a reasonable rationale, that might work. There would likely still be an issue in terms of scoring.

(I'm not recusing myself here because I'm not running the show, so you know I won't be the final word on it either way.)

[alysten.livejournal.com]

Well the long and short answer is any period technique of stabilization would effectively ruin the existing sugar work. Plaster requires water and the sugar would melt. Wax needs to be melted in order to mold into the spot which would melt the sugar. I used royal icing to fix the problem, combined with gum paste. The tape main was to hold everything in place while stuff cured. and then I was too afraid to remove it least it decapitated itself again...

I may just enter it as exhibition only. Jury is still out.

[woodwindy.livejournal.com]

Sorry, I wasn't clear -- I meant why you chose the Rice Krispies in the first place rather than a more stable form. "The mixture paralleled the texture of the period option but turned out not to be as supportive" or something along those lines would be a perfectly reasonable explanation in my opinion.

[alysten.livejournal.com]

Ah... that's cause I cant carve wood. ;-) Not my talent.

[dreda.livejournal.com]

This probably just says something about me, but why do you need to enter it?

[alysten.livejournal.com]

It is our baronial A & S that weekend.

[dreda.livejournal.com]

Ah.

(Mostly, competitions just vex me to no useful purpose, so I have to be reminded.)

[spinpsychology.livejournal.com]

I say go for it with the side note of there will be people who will try to make you crazy by asking silly questions when they should have just read your documentation!

[alysten.livejournal.com]

Well since I will be in the kitchen.. I can miss most of the silly. I may just enter him exhibition only. At the very least it gets him out of the way of the chaos that will be the kitchen.

[suba-al-hadid.livejournal.com]

Totally enter it with all the construction caveats, why you chose them (money, period ingredient not existing anymore, easily accessible, close enough to original materials, whatever applies). I've seen enough posts and comments by laurels who judge A&S stuff who say that this is perfectly acceptable documentation.

[suba-al-hadid.livejournal.com]

What woodwindy said.

[aryll.livejournal.com]

"Because rice crispies and marshmallows taste better than wood." Perfectly acceptable reasoning, imo. ;)