Sugar sculpture, the art of producing artistic centerpieces entirely composed of sugar and sugar derivatives, is an art that is rapidly garnering support. There are many competitions that include sugar sculpture, and popular television networks, such as Food Network, televise many of these events.

Sugar showpieces can be composed of several different types of sugar elements. All begin with cooking sugar, and possibly an acidic agent and/or non-sucrose sugar product to avoid unwanted crystallization, to the hard crack stage, around 300 degrees Fahrenheit.

When all components are completed, they are welded together using a gas torch. The sugar is melted, and then joined together.

Types of sugar sculpture

Pulled sugar

Once the sugar has been cooked, the now-liquid sugar is poured onto a silicone rubber mat (e.g., Silpat). Any coloring is now added. The sugar is then folded repeatedly into itself, until the sugar is, while still flexible, cool enough to handle. The sugar is then stretched out and then folded on itself repeatedly. This process incorporates air into the sugar, and gives it a bright lustery sheen. The sugar can then be sculpted by hand into various shapes, made into ribbons, or blown.

Blown sugar

In blown sugar, a portion of pulled sugar is placed on a rubber pump which is tipped with either wood or metal. Pumps are most commonly hand pumps. While being blown, the sugar can be shaped, often into animals or flowers. Blown sugar cannot be quickly cooled by dipping it in water, so chefs must use fans to cool the sugar, all the while rotating it, so that it does not come out of shape. This technique is very useful in making balloons for wedding cakes.

Cast sugar

In this technique, sugar is poured into molds. This technique produces more sturdy pieces than pulled and blown sugar, and is almost always used for the base and structural elements of showpieces.

Pastillage

A thick sugar paste, similar to gum paste, is molded into shapes. When dried, it is hard and brittle. Made with gelatin, water and confectioner's sugar, it hardens quickly and can be shaped for a short while by hand, and after hardening, with electric grinders, cutters, sandpaper and assorted files.

Pressed Sugar

Granulated sugar is mixed with a minimal amount of water, and is put under pressure. It hardens into a solid piece. Though this is used for showpiece bases, it is less often used because of the time required to produce it, and its lesser aesthetic value.

Rock Sugar

The liquid sugar is blended with a small amount of royal icing. The heat from the sugar causes the air incorporated in the icing to rapidly expand, causing the mixture to grow to several times its original volume. The mixture is quickly poured into a lined dish, and placed into a blast chiller to set. This process produces a sugar mass with the texture of volcanic pumice, the color of which is determined by the color of the sugar syrup.

Spun Sugar

Sugar syrup is made into long extremely thin strands which can be shaped to make things like birds nests. The sugar is gathered on a fork or a special tool designed for spinning sugar and is flicked in long strokes over succeeding pipes.

Sugar Sculpture Examples

Sugar sculptures are becoming more popular as alternatives to a wedding cake. However they are often much more expensive, as they are made-to-order and very time consuming to create.

External links

Sugar sculptures: Chef designs 'glass' creations with painstaking skill, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, July 30, 2009

Category:Sculpture techniques Category:Sugar

ja:飴細工 zh:糖人

name	Martin Wood
birth date
occupation	DirectorProducer
years active	1995 – present }}

Martin Wood is a Canadian television director who has been directing since the mid 1990s. Specializing in science fiction, where he is best known for his work as a director and producer on ''Stargate SG-1'' (46 episodes), as well as its spin-off series ''Stargate Atlantis'' (30 episodes).

Biography

Career

Martin Wood began his television career in 1995. Although he is best known for his work on the Stargate franchise's ''Stargate SG-1'' and ''Stargate Atlantis'', he has also directed for many other television series, including ''The Invisible Man'' and ''Earth: Final Conflict''. In addition, Martin directed two TV specials on sudden infant death syndrome.

Along with Peter DeLuise, Andy Mikita and Will Waring, Wood was one of ''Stargate SG-1'''s main directors during its 10 year run. He also frequently appears as an extra known as "Major Wood" in the ''Stargate SG-1'' epi sodes that he directs, often assisting Sergeant Siler as a repairman using the oversized crescent wrench that serves as an inside joke. He is also featured on many ''Stargate SG-1'' and ''Stargate Atlantis'' DVD special features, such as featurettes and audio commentaries.

Currently, Wood is the director for the science-fiction series ''Sanctuary'', starring Amanda Tapping and Christopher Heyerdahl. He was set to direct ''Stargate: Revolution'' (working title), the third ''Stargate SG-1'' direct-to-DVD movie, but that production has been shelved indefinitely.

Selected filmography

Director
! Year	! Film	! Other notes
		(Television; 13 episodes, 2008–present)
rowspan="2"	''Stargate: Continuum''	Direct to DVD film
''Stargate Atlantis''	(30 episodes, 2004–2008)
		(Webisodes; 7 episodes, 2007)
	''Stargate SG-1''	(46 episodes, 1998–2006)
		(5 episodes, 2004–2005)
		(6 episodes, 2002–2003)
rowspan="2"	''Just Deal''	(1 episode, 2002)
''Earth: Final Conflict''	(4 episodes, 2001–2002)
rowspan="2"		(1 episode, 2001)
''The Impossible Elephant''	Also known as: ''The Incredible Elephant''
	''SIDS: Uncovering the Mystery''
rowspan="4"	''Vicki Gabereau: The Mouth That Roared''
''Teenage Space Vampires''
''Silk Stalkings''	(3 episodes, 1997–1999)
''Pierre Burton: Canada's Arrogant Icon''
rowspan="2"	''Life and Times''
''Listen Up!''
rowspan="3"	''Jake and the Kid''	(1 episode, 1995)
''SIDS: A Special Report!''
''The Great Run of China''
Producer
! Year	! Title	! Notes
		TV Series (executive producer: 26 episodes, 2008–present)
		Web Series (executive producer: 8 episodes, 2007)
	''Stargate Atlantis''	(supervising producer: 60 episodes, 2005–2008) and (co-producer: 19 episodes, 2004–2005)
	''Stargate SG-1''	(26 episodes, 2003–2004)
	''Listen Up!''
Writer
! Year	! Title	! Notes
		(7 episodes, 2007)
	''Teenage Space Vampires''
	''Listen Up!''

Awards and nominations

Wood has won 1 award, out of 5 nominations.

Year	Award	Category	Episode/Film/Series	Result
2001	Toronto Sprockets International Film Festival for Children Audience Award	Best Feature Film	''The Impossible Elephant''
2002	Director's Guild of Canada Team Award	Outstanding Achievement in a Television Movie/Mini-Series - Children's	''The Impossible Elephant''
2004	Gemini Award	Best Direction in a Children's or Youth Program or Series	''The Impossible Elephant''
2005	Leo Award	Best Dramatic Series	''Stargate Atlantis''
2009	Leo Award	Best Direction in a Feature Length Drama	''Stargate: Continuum''

References

External links

Martin Wood at Stargate Official Site

Martin Wood on StargateWiki

Category:Living people Category:Canadian film directors Category:Canadian television directors Category:Canadian cinematographers Category:Canadian television producers

ar:مارتن وود cs:Martin Wood da:Martin Wood de:Martin Wood et:Martin Wood es:Martin Wood fr:Martin Wood it:Martin Wood hu:Martin Wood nl:Martin Wood (regisseur) sv:Martin Wood tr:Martin Wood

name	Yuka Honda
background	non_vocal_instrumentalist
birth name	本田ゆか (''Honda Yuka'')
born	Tokyo, Japan
instrument	Piano, Keyboard, Synthesizer, Sampler, Guitar, Bass, Harpsichord, Organ, Backing Vocals
genre	Electronic music, Experimental, Improvisation
occupation	Musician, Record Producer, Composer, Remixer
years active	1995–present
label	Tzadik Records
associated acts	Cibo Matto, Plastic Ono Band, Sean Lennon, Dopo Yume
notable instruments	}}

Yuka Honda is a Japanese musician who resides in New York City. She is a multi-instrumentalist musician, composer, record producer, and co-founder of the band Cibo Matto. Throughout her career, she has collaborated with a diverse array of musicians, including Petra Haden, Sean Lennon, Mike Watt, Nels Cline, Tricky, Harper Simon, Beastie Boys, Los Lobos, Mitchell Froom, Medeski Martin & Wood, Marc Ribot, Yoshimi P-We, Arto Lindsay, Edie Brickell, Vincent Gallo, Luscious Jackson, Dave Douglas, Bernie Worrell and Caetano Veloso.

Biography

Honda was born in Tokyo, Japan, and spent a few years of her childhood in Germany and Denmark. She went to school in Aix-en-Provence, France then moved to New York City in November 1986. She had some classical training in her childhood but never thought that she would become a musician. When she came to New York, she was writing for a Japanese food magazine.

In 1988, she hit her first stage at CBGB's as a keyboard player with Greg Cohen and Michael Blair. In 1989, she started the band "The Flaming Hoops" with boyfriend then husband Dougie Bowne, E.J. Rodriguez and Erik Sanko and recorded a self-titled album on which she plays a duet with Michael Brecker. In 1990, she joined Jazz Passengers in their musical play "Jazz Passengers in Egypt", and she appeared in their live album ''Live at Knitting Factory''. She also joined a live hip-hop band "Rhythm Method", then a funk band Brooklyn Funk Essentials, but her main focus was the band she started with husband Dougie Bowne and Marc Anthony Thompson, Hope Is a Muscle. In 1992, she played Queen Elizabeth Hall in South Bank, London, supporting Arto Lindsay along with Marc Ribot, Bernie Worrell and Brian Eno.

In 1993, Honda met Miho Hatori while working with the band Leitoh Lychee. The two formed their own band, Cibo Matto, in March 1994, by which time Honda had divorced from Bowne. The unique formation of the band in which Hatori was the singer who sang all the songs in relation to food and love, and Honda was the only instrumentalist where she played live electronics and made the sound of a full band, generated a quick sensation in the city, and they signed the record deal with Warner Brothers before the year was over. In 1995, they recorded their debut album ''Viva! La Woman'' with Mitchell Froom and Tchad Blake. During the same year, they met Russell Simins when they opened up for Blues Explosion, and started the band Butter 08 with Mike Mills, Evan Bernard and Rick Lee. Honda produced their self-titled album with Simins. Both Cibo Matto and Butter 08 released their albums in 1996.

She was in a romantic relationship with Sean Lennon from 1996 to 2000, and produced his 1998 album ''Into the Sun''. The two met when Honda remixed Yoko Ono's song "Talking to the Universe" (from the album ''Rising''), along with Thurston Moore, Tricky, Beastie Boys and Ween. Cibo Matto invited Lennon and Timo Ellis to join the band as they started to tour frequently. From 1996 to 2000, Honda toured extensively with all three projects she was involved in.

Also in 1996, Cibo Matto worked with the film director Michel Gondry on their single Sugar Water, a highly artistic music video in the form of a visual palindrome.

Cibo Matto broke up in 2001. Her work since then seems to be concentrated more in the downtown New York scene, working with musicians such as Dave Douglas, Susie Ibarra, Vincent Gallo, Trevor Dunn, Jim O'Rourke and John Zorn, for whose label Tzadik Honda recorded her two solo albums. In 2003, Honda collaborated with Boredoms drummer Yoshimi P-We, under the name Yoshimi and Yuka.

In 2005, Honda worked for Hal Willner at Expo 2005 for the 3D animation which was directed by Robert Wilson. She also sang on the Dopo Yume album ''The Secret Show''.

In 2006 Honda played keyboards on Sean Lennon's album ''Friendly Fire''. She acted as musical director for the supporting tour.

Honda worked on a collection of songs with Petra Haden, apparently with contributing performances by Sean Lennon and Trevor Dunn.

In 2007, she co-produced Irina Lazareanu with Sean Lennon. She also wrote songs and recorded with Edie Brickell on her new album ''The Heavy Circles''.

in 2009, she worked on Yoko Ono's ''Between My Head and the Sky'' as Assistant Producer. She's also credited with mixing the album along with Yoko and Sean, and with "Pro-Tools Editing, sampler, e. piano, organ percussion."

In late 2009, early 2010 she performed as a member of the reformed Plastic Ono Band including concerts in Tokyo and New York, and also appeared as a member of the group The Ghost of a Sabre Tooth Tiger. She also performed improvisational shows with Mike Watt and Nels Cline in the groups Floored By Four and Brother's Sister's Daughter. During this period she became romantically involved with - and subsequently engaged to - Cline; Their wedding will be taking place in Japan in late November 2010.

Discography

''Memories Are My Only Witness'' (2002)

''Eucademix'' (2004)

''Heart Chamber Phantoms'' (2010)

Producer

Butter 08, ''Butter 08'' (1996)

Cibo Matto, ''Super Relax'' (1997)

Sean Lennon, ''Into the Sun'' (1998)

Cibo Matto, ''Stereo Type A'' (1999)

Maki Nomiya (of Pizzicato Five), the track "Star Struck" on ''Miss Maki Nomiya Sings'' (2000)

Miu Sakamoto, "Beautiful (2000)

Remix

Yoko Ono, ''Talking to The Universe'' Rising Mixes (1996)

Medeski, Martin & Wood, ''Sugar Craft'' Combustication Remix EP (1999)

HALCALI, ''"TANDEM-Mutable Chromosome Remix"'' Tandem (single) (2003)

External links

Electric Dream Music Interview with Yuka Honda about ''Memories Are My Only Witness''

Yuka Honda on Tzadik

History of Cibo Matto

Category:Japanese electronic musicians Category:Tzadik Records artists Category:Plastic Ono Band members Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Living people Category:American people of Japanese descent Category:Japanese emigrants to the United States pl:Yuka Honda