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Johnny Tucker uncovers food-inspired works of art plus, the latest in kitchens and bathrooms.

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Words by Johnny Tucker

The age-old dinner-time direction of 'don't play with your food' is familiar to many, but that's exactly what was required for the Tempting Art brief given to a range of architects, designers, artists and other creatives, for an exhibition during Milan Design Week at the showroom of Valucucine.

Pierre Le Police's Human Beans

Maurizio Galante and Tal Lancman gave their brief to 22 people in all - the challenge was 'to each concoct a dish and then see what happens when cooking is taken out of the kitchen and into the world of design'. Art edibles on show ranged from a very chic, knotted, liquorice bootlace necklace, through the rather disturbing marzipan Human Beans pod and meat lollipops, to the highly amusing sandwiches from Gaetano Pesce in which the bread reflected the filling. Some pieces were clearly art, others you could imagine being served up in a more upmarket restaurant (surely Heston's done a meat lollipop by now?)

Angela Missoni's Wool Ball

Galante, a fashion designer, and Lancman, who worked in forecasting and as a journalist, now inhabit the art world themselves. In 2003 they teamed up to found a design and consultancy service in partnership Interware. Their practice has an eclectic remit traversing different design disciplines, from fashion to furniture, interiors, lights, food, architecture and gardening.

Yayoi Kusama's Pumpkin Cake (front), created for the restaurant of the Mudam Museum of Modern Art, Luxembourg, and Simone Perotte's Baker's Nightmare (behind)

Art and food are areas they have been interested in for some time. The pair have shown their more artistic outpourings in many locations, including Paris' Fondation Cartier, New York's MoMA, Florence's Pitti Immagine, and Luxembourg's Mudam Museum of Modern Art Grand-Duc Jean, for which a couple of the pieces on show were originally created.

Gaetano Pesce's Beef Sandwich, created for the restaurant of the Mudam Museum of Modern Art, Luxembourg

Adding to that previous work with this new set of creations, they were not only delighted with the response from the people they approached, but also by the very pragmatic and far more prosaic fact that the pieces all lent themselves so well to being displays on plinths for the show!

Have a browse of what's new in kitchens and bathrooms from leading companies over the next few pages.