Savoury shoes and chess made of cheese: Saskia Martindale reimagines everyday snacks for otherworldly props and sets

Whether it’s a giant flat white or a game of chess that doubles up as a cheese board, much of set designer and art director Saskia Martindale’s personal practice centres on food. But it’s an obsession that’s surfaced in her commercial projects too. A designer of objects, props and sets, Saskia has worked with brands like Burberry, Nike, Adidas and more, to build and style showstopping campaigns and shoots that deliberately turn things on their head in their use of scale, materials or context, elevating everyday food items that we might not typically see as a material for creative means. There isn’t much that the designer can’t magically conjure up: sugar turns into bricks, and wafers become lined winter jackets under the artist’s eye. “I try to create work with a humorous and playful nature,” Saskia summarises.

The designer gets a lot of satisfaction taking on briefs that present the challenge to craft something tricky, something she’s never tried to make before. “I’m forced into a new avenue each time, and I can then later explore these new ideas on my own terms,” she says. Saskia often documents the process behind her analogue creations over on her Instagram, like her recent project for the small batch perfume brand Ffern which saw her make a giant paper-maché accordion. If you’ve been following along closely you’ll know her final cast of clementines and their extras for the Burberry’s winter campaign last year was a selection process that was another treat to see behind the scenes of.

It’s not a surprise to hear that Jane Asher’s iconic 1991 costume book is a source of creative inspiration for the art director, and so are Isamu Noguchi’s, playful architectural forms. “I try not to take my work too seriously,” Saskia ends. “I’m always making the design process as fun as possible and exploring different techniques to keep myself engaged.” No wonder Saskia’s props hold the same silly joy and magic that came with the kind of creations we made as a child – the sight of a giant crisp or a cardboard cut out house doesn’t lose its novelty as an adult.