Playing with Your Food: The Foodie Space

A Review of the Interactive Photo Museum

We have always been told that we shouldn’t play with our food. It’s often a messy process and we always get told by our mother about our manners. Not to mention we always end up getting those crazy embarrassing photos your parents show at the family Christmas party with the spaghetti all over your face. But what if you could play with your food and look good doing it? 

Lately, there have been pop up photo gallery museums that have caught the eyes of several selfie takers. These photobooth galleries are exactly what it sounds like: museums dedicated to the art of taking candid photos. Sometimes adding SnapChat or Instagram filters don’t add enough flare to your photos and could use an extra pizzazz. And, unfortunately, we don’t always go to parties and gettogethers with the singular make-shift photobooth with paper cutouts. Photobooth museums have become the trademark to snazzy picture taking. Most galleries are dedicated to a particular theme.

The Foodie Space is a photo gallery dedicated to, you guessed it, food. However, not just any type of food. Located in Pasadena, CA not too far from the Gold Line Metrorail, The Foodie Space takes up an entire floor in an office building with installations made from local artists for interactive game play of oversized food. How interactive? Well, The Foodie Space has dedicated its art installations to be sat on, played with, and thrown about all in the name of that special photo piece. Well, except for the giant ceramic strawberry which has an iconic feel as the staple piece of one of the original artists that contributed to the gallery. 

Take a dive into a large can of caviar to feel the luxury of high class but channel your inner child by throwing food at the camera. If you ever wondered what it would feel like to sleep on a giant pizza, you have a chance to here at this photo gallery (just make sure to remove your shoes). You can even become a DJ at the large-scale egg spin disk setup in one of their rooms. 

The Foodie Space is meant to play with your food while channeling a whimsical version of yourself. Since everything in the gallery is 100 times the scale, it makes it all the more interactive. Taking large groups with you to this gallery makes it all the more fun. The gallery accommodates many different size groups while giving everyone enough space. Not to mention, completely kid friendly. What kid wouldn’t want to play with giant noodles and a fortune cookie bigger that their entire body? 

Decided to go on your own? Believe it or not, a lot of these pop-up photo museums have photographers on site that are more than willing to take your photos for you with your own device at no extra charge, but if you have a friend that knows your “good side” I would suggest taking them. On average, small groups can get through the gallery within an hour, but the more people you have the longer it’ll take (if they take too long you can always hit them with a very large twinkie). A lot of the community that goes there are more than willing to help you get your photos too. Make friends. Make a mess. And please, feel free to play with your food.