Space

The cosmos created from cinnamon, spice and ... cat hair?

The cosmos created from cinnamon, spice and ... cat hair?
The planet in this shot is actually the bottom of a glass filled with orange juice, wasabi, half-and-half cream/milk and tomato sauce, while the moon is a small pancake and the nebula is formed from water, coffee, food coloring and more half-and-half
The planet in this shot is actually the bottom of a glass filled with orange juice, wasabi, half-and-half cream/milk and tomato sauce, while the moon is a small pancake and the nebula is formed from water, coffee, food coloring and more half-and-half
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The planet in this shot is actually the bottom of a glass filled with orange juice, wasabi, half-and-half cream/milk and tomato sauce, while the moon is a small pancake and the nebula is formed from water, coffee, food coloring and more half-and-half
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The planet in this shot is actually the bottom of a glass filled with orange juice, wasabi, half-and-half cream/milk and tomato sauce, while the moon is a small pancake and the nebula is formed from water, coffee, food coloring and more half-and-half
Another glass forms the planet here, but this one is filled with bourbon, coconut milk, water, soy sauce and food coloring – the stars come from salt, flour, cinnamon and curry powder
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Another glass forms the planet here, but this one is filled with bourbon, coconut milk, water, soy sauce and food coloring – the stars come from salt, flour, cinnamon and curry powder
Water, coffee, half-and-half and food coloring makes up the nebula, while the stars are formed from sugar and baking powder
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Water, coffee, half-and-half and food coloring makes up the nebula, while the stars are formed from sugar and baking powder
This nebula isn't born from a star's explosion, but rather from sake, water, half-and-half, food coloring, flour and salt
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This nebula isn't born from a star's explosion, but rather from sake, water, half-and-half, food coloring, flour and salt
Here a pancake planet and moon float amidst olive oil, flour, cinnamon, cumin and seasoned salt
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Here a pancake planet and moon float amidst olive oil, flour, cinnamon, cumin and seasoned salt
The aura around this eclipse comes from turmeric, powdered cheese, cinnamon and baking soda
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The aura around this eclipse comes from turmeric, powdered cheese, cinnamon and baking soda
Flour and peppercorns form the stars while tea, water, half-and-half and food coloring form the swirling gases
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Flour and peppercorns form the stars while tea, water, half-and-half and food coloring form the swirling gases
While these filaments might look like long strands of gas in a far away nebula, they're actually cat hair from two different felines while the rest of the "cat nebula" is made from Sriracha, chili powder, cinnamon, baking powder and salt
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While these filaments might look like long strands of gas in a far away nebula, they're actually cat hair from two different felines while the rest of the "cat nebula" is made from Sriracha, chili powder, cinnamon, baking powder and salt
You might never have heard of the potato nebula, but here it is floating in a debris belt that comes from coffee, peppercorns and crumbled Girl Scout cookies
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You might never have heard of the potato nebula, but here it is floating in a debris belt that comes from coffee, peppercorns and crumbled Girl Scout cookies
View gallery - 9 images

For most of us, spilling some sugar or cinnamon on the glass of our scanner would be an accident. For photographer Navid Barraty, it's art. Barraty uses ordinary food, kitchen staples and other odd bits and pieces along with his Epson scanner to create enchanting cosmic worlds. Pancakes become planets, potatoes become asteroids and cat fur – yes cat fur – helps create a striking nebula.

Barraty, who's based in Seattle, Washington, created an initial series of cosmic kitchen art early last year. He just reached out to Gizmag to let us know that he's done it again, this time with even more tricks up his sleeve and more realistic renderings. All of the art is included under the overarching concept of an make-believe mission called Wormhole-Accelerated Nomad Delivering Reconnaissance, or Wander, which you can check out on his Facebook page.

"My methods have definitely evolved a bit with this new series," Baraty told Gizmag. "I learned how to make nebulas! I use a clear tray that I fill with various liquids and then scan, and it creates some quite realistic looking nebulas. I actually got the inspiration for this when I noticed the swirls coffee cream makes when poured into a hot cup of coffee.

I also made my first planets using something other than liquids in a glass – pancakes! I discovered that pancakes work amazingly well as planets and moons because of their texture and random variation of details on their surfaces formed from the frying pan."

While that give away some of Baraty's secrets, have a look at the new series and see if you can guess what the images are comprised of – before you read the captions.

For most of us, spilling some sugar or cinnamon on the glass of our scanner would be an accident. For photographer Navid Barraty, it's art. Barraty uses ordinary food, kitchen staples and other odd bits and pieces along with his Epson scanner to create enchanting cosmic worlds. Pancakes become planets, potatoes become asteroids and cat fur – yes cat fur – helps create a striking nebula.

Barraty, who's based in Seattle, Washington, created an initial series of cosmic kitchen art early last year. He just reached out to Gizmag to let us know that he's done it again, this time with even more tricks up his sleeve and more realistic renderings. All of the art is included under the overarching concept of an make-believe mission called Wormhole-Accelerated Nomad Delivering Reconnaissance, or Wander, which you can check out on his Facebook page.

"My methods have definitely evolved a bit with this new series," Baraty told Gizmag. "I learned how to make nebulas! I use a clear tray that I fill with various liquids and then scan, and it creates some quite realistic looking nebulas. I actually got the inspiration for this when I noticed the swirls coffee cream makes when poured into a hot cup of coffee.

I also made my first planets using something other than liquids in a glass – pancakes! I discovered that pancakes work amazingly well as planets and moons because of their texture and random variation of details on their surfaces formed from the frying pan."

While that give away some of Baraty's secrets, have a look at the new series and see if you can guess what the images are comprised of – before you read the captions.

View gallery - 9 images
1 comment
1 comment
Cyberxbx
I used to use vegetables and greens of different colors placed on a scanner bed to make art as well in middle school. I created alien races out of various pieces of bok choy, lettuce, radish, etc. Now my alien races have a home!