While there are traditional materials used for making sculptures, there are also those materials that are not quite so common, watermelons definitely being on that list.
With the heat of summer taking over many parts, people are always looking for cool, refreshing things to eat and drink. Watermelon has become synonymous with the summer sun as it not only tastes good, but because it is made of mainly water (hence the name “watermelon”) it really cools a person down.
But, aside from eating it and throwing the rinds into a growing pile on the table, there is another thing watermelon is surprisingly good for – carving. (And while Gallagher will probably disagree with me in favor for his favorite watermelon pastime, smashing watermelon with a mallet, I am going with something a bit less, uh, messy.) Shawn Feeney of Oakland, California is all about watermelon…and fruits and vegetables of all shapes and sizes. He is part of the Invisible Underground, an entire website completely dedicated to sculptures made out of fruits and vegetables. His recent sculpture is inspired by the symbol of this year’s Chinese New Year – the Water Dragon.
Feeney carved 14 watermelons (quite fitting for the name “water dragon,” don’t you think?) and used two Fiji pineapples to create his sculpture. While it is not exactly known how long it took Feeney to make this amazing sculpture, you can bet a bit of time, dedication, and watermelon overeating was involved. (Can you get a stomach ache from too much watermelon? This is something I would not be adverse to finding out.) The sculpture was created for the 2012 Priceless even held in Belden, California. Steel armatures were used in an effort to not only keep the sculpture up, but also give it that curvature dragons are well known for.
You have to wonder how Feeney looked buying 14 watermelons from his local neighborhood grocery store. I also want to know what he did with all the insides; did he throw them away or did he turn it into a lovely fruit salad? Personally, I am hoping for the latter, I love a good fruit salad, especially when watermelon is involved.
(Via: Laughing Squid)
For more interesting food-related sculptures, check out this nine ton Mayan temple made out of chocolate or masterpieces by Van Gogh made of snacks and spices.
