Opening Hours at The Creator Incubator:
Wednesday to Friday, 12 pm - 5 pm (all of July)
In celebration of World Chocolate Day on the 7th of July, Newcastle pastry chef and world-renowned chocolatier Dean Gibson and industrial designer Jon Pryer are kicking off a worldly event of their own - setting a World Record for their creation of a 2.5 metre-long kinetic chocolate sculpture with the most moving parts.
Built throughout July in a submarine-themed gallery space at Hamilton’s The Creator Incubator, Dean Gibson and industrial designer Jon Pryer, are setting a World Record for their production of a kinetic chocolate sculpture with the most moving parts. Called Iron Shark, the 2.5 metre-long, steam-punk-inspired chocolate shark will have over 30 moving parts and will be made entirely of 100% high-quality Italian Irca chocolate that is fully edible.
Imagineered in a 19th-century submarine in the style of the science fiction of Jules Verne, Edgar Allan Poe and H. G. Wells, this chocolate time machine takes us back to a world where steam was the new punk and the Nautilus roamed the imagination.
With support from project partners Fivespice Creative, the four-week construction of the Iron Shark will be live-streamed throughout July, and The Creator Incubator space will open (currently Wednesday-Friday) for visitors to watch their progress. The project has been a collaboration of industry professionals to design, install and theme the working space and make the project a living art installation. Once completed, the giant shark will be presented to the public at the Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley on August 6.
“I’m such a proud Novocastrian and I’d love nothing more than the local community to get behind this project, come and check it out and see just how incredible, and edible, this shark will be once it’s finished.
Nobody in the world is doing what we are doing now, after the build in Newcastle we plan to showcase Iron Shark at Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley to set a world record,” Gibson said.
Gibson is a renowned pastry chef who has competed in many international competitions. Recognised internationally more than he is in Australia–and certainly, in his hometown of Newcastle, Gibson is Team Pastry Australia’s coach, and has mentored many of Australia’s greatest pâtissiers, including Adriano Zumbo. He has a deep passion for art and turning his trade into masterpieces.
IRON SHARK is the latest project by the same team that brought you the world's first moving chocolate sculpture "Boneshaker" and "The Ravens Voyage" – Dean Gibson, Jon Pryer, Shane Williams and Vanessa Anton. This next project is taking things to the next level with the addition of two more team members, Jian Yao – the owner of Continental Patisserie and founder and member of Team Pastry Australia. Also introducing young gun Josh Nickl from Gumnut Patisserie where he was born and raised and is developing into one of the country's top pastry chefs.
“Chocolate sculpture is a creative expression and a crazy way of showing what can be achieved if you put your passion, your love of art, and a good industrial engineer together!”
Every cog, screw, shaft and fin will be engineered from chocolate using food-grade silicons, lathes, CNC cutter, and other tools treated with food-grade oils. The team have spent months planning, designing, building 3D models and refining the construction methodology so that the end product comes together seamlessly.
Sponsored by Irca/Dolba chocolate, Continental Patisserie and Iwata.
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