Once a year, architects, engineers and students across the country forgo the usual building materials to create structures out of cans. From April 5 to 26, the New York State Museum will house its own floor of can sculptures for the Capital District’s second Canstruction event.
Canstruction, a not for profit organization committed to ending hunger, challenges designers to take canned food and make a structural masterpiece. The public can see every sculpture in exchange for a canned item. Last year was the first locally held event but it’s been taking place in cities like New York City and Boston since 1992.
“We were shocked in a good way at the response and how well it did,” said Kira Pogge, media and communications coordinator for EYP Architecture and Engineering.
Architects from EYP were the driving force behind bringing Canstruction to Albany. Kelly Donahue, a board member, said EYP was inspired by feedback from teams who had participated in other locations.
“Hearing from our teammates … what a rewarding process this is to create these really challenging structures that are so unique and raise design visibility to the community and put a spotlight on hunger seemed like a really good opportunity to bring something like that to the Capital Region,” said Donahue.
When the displays are dismantled, the cans are donated to the Capital Region Food Pantry, along with canned items the public brings along to vote for their favorite sculpture.
Last year’s event featured nine teams, lasted one week and resulted in a 43,000-can donation. This year, it’s grown to 13 teams and will run for two weeks. The theme is “Zoo Can Do It” so canned items donated by Price Chopper will be morphed into animals.
Ryan-Biggs Associates will be building a penguin display modeled after the movie “Happy Feet.” It will require 2,800 cans and eight people to complete.
“We selected our animal because we wanted to find something we thought would be kid friendly because we thought that’d be a big draw,” said Jill Shorter, a teammate.
Shorter is creating an informational board focusing on childhood hunger and the team kept that issue in mind when choosing which cans to use.
“We made our protein friendly with cans of soup and a lot of tuna and things that would keep them full a lot longer,” said Shorter.
The team held an in-office fundraiser to purchase cans for a test sculpture. The actual build will happen in one week.
Pogge said EYP decided to hold Canstruction in April because that’s when there’s typically a gap in food pantry donations.
“So many people are giving to them during the holidays that they go through a really large dry spell in the spring,” said Pogge.
Shorter said her firm was excited at the chance to be involved.
“To give back to the local community was first and foremost (the reason for joining). Second was to mingle and work together with a lot of other architects and engineers in the Capital Region,” said Shorter. “We saw it as the right fit for us and just the idea of showcasing what architects and engineers do and the creativity behind it.”
Last year’s Canstruction was so popular that the museum doubled its attendance for the month of April, said Donahue. She’s hoping this year’s extended two-week run will yield similar results.
The show will be open starting Thursday, April 5, and run through April 25 from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and April 26 from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the fourth floor of the museum. Admission is free but canned donations for voting are suggested. For more information, visit www.zoocandoit2012.com.
