100,000 Cans Turned Into Inventive Sculptures For Canstruction 2011

Yes, you can enjoy these photos of the 19th annual Canstruction Exhibition, which puts 100,000 boring cans of food to good use by turning them into large-scale, gravity-defying sculptures (for charity). The show, which is part of a public food drive for City Harvest, features designs from 26 architecture and design firms. This year's creations include replicas of Alexander McQueen’s famed Lady Gaga shoes, Angry Birds, the Titanic, a "Don’t Walk" sign, the Brooklyn Bridge, and a working QR Code.

The exhibition, which opened today at the World Financial Center, is free to visit through November 21st, but visitors are encouraged to bring high-quality non-perishable foods to donate, such as tuna, beans, and canned vegetables. At the end of the show, all 100,000+ cans used in the exhibit, as well as those collected through the food drive, will be donated to local community food programs through City Harvest, just in time for Thanksgiving. For more canstructoporn, check out last year's photos, which included a Super Mario brother and a giant Battleship game.

The Winter Garden at the World Financial Center // 220 Vesey Street // 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily

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By John Del Signore in Food on November 10, 2011 4:45 PM

Comments [rss]

Austin Scott Brooks

Canstruction is definitely one of my favorite fall events. I've been going for years! This year, a few of my favorites were NepTUNA the HippoCANpus Against Hunger and TiCANic. How can you not love this event? It's a great event for a great cause. If you'd like, you can check out my coverage of Canstruction 2011 here: http://www.glenwoodnyc.com/man...

Chiara Bajardi

@rnrnys I have to surmise you are, indeed, missing something here. Having homeless people come in and take a can of tuna off a sculpture makes no sense, whatsoever (and is dangerous, for that matter), and offers much less than the exhibit itself brings insofar as awareness, donations, and FOOD ON PLATES when all is said and done. If you still don't get it, just move on.

rnrnys

"Having homeless...take a can of tuna makes no sense...and offers much less than the exhibit itself brings insofar as awareness, donations, and FOOD ON PLATES..."

Bullshit! You should all be ashamed of yourselves making pretty scuptures out of someone else's meal. It's the equivalent of playing with your food.

The problem here is that the process is more imporatnt to these people than the immediate need of one human being recieving a can of food from another human being. That guy is hungrey right now, not tomorrow or whenever you decide it's time to release the food.

AND it creates the oft needed divide that those making the donation want between them and those recieving the donation. Many of those donating cans would cross the street if they saw a homeless person walking towards them.

Shame.

rnrnys

If homeless people show up at the exhibition, can they just go "shopping"? After all they are hungry, right?

Or do they have to wait a few weeks for these nonsense to get taken apart, repackaged and shipped to wherever.

JuliaHild

What a curmudgeon - don't you realize what an event like this brings in to the charity in both donations, food and awareness - I am really shocked at your response.

rnrnys

But the homeless are still hungrey, right?

JuliaHild

you are not getting the point - when this event is over there will be thousands of dollars worth of food that will be distributed among the homeless and hungry that would not have existed were it not for this event.

I went to the exhibit yesterday and also found out that a High School also did one of the Canstructions. In speaking to one of the students they sold t-shirts, solicited donations so they could buy the food to create their piece. The young lady explained to me that she thought it was amazing to know that after the
whole thing was over the food that they bought would be going to City Harvest.

rnrnys

But these homeless people are hungry and literally only steps away from a meal. If they were smart enough to have can openers with them, they could actually eat that food right there, right?

Am I missing something here?

Chiara Bajardi

I have to surmise you are, indeed, missing something here. Having homeless people come in and take a can of tuna off a sculpture makes no sense, whatsoever (and is dangerous, for that matter), and offers much less than the exhibit itself brings insofar as awareness, donations, and FOOD ON PLATES when all is said and done. If you still don't get it, just move on.