Getting Out & About: Canstruction 2010

I've been spending way too much time indoors of late, especially on weekends when I really should know better, but between either working or doing housework I can't seem to find the time, or the energy, to get out. The living room of my small apartment faces onto the back of the building and is not that well lit. Quite honestly I'm in danger of turning into one of the mole people and well...enough is enough I've decided I'm going to force myself to go out, starting this weekend.

I've intended to visit New York's Canstruction exhibit for the past two years now, but have never quite managed to make it. I decided that this year would be different, so I braved the elements - actually it was freakishly warm and sunny in New York today, people were out and about in t-shirts - and walked from my upper east side apartment all the way downtown, with a brief stop in SoHo for breakfast and a browse around the shops. I don't know what's wrong with me today, but I've been an exercise fiend, since not only did I walk for 4 hours straight, but I came home and did the lovely Tracy Campoli's kick ass Pilates DVD. Move over Michael Phelps, there's a new calorie burning machine in town ;-)

Speaking of calories - do you see what I did there? - Canstruction is a food charity that believes 'one can make a difference' - do you see what Canstruction did there? - holding multiple design and build competitions to construct giant sized sculptures from canned food. When the exhibits close all of the food used in the structures is donated to the local food banks for distribution to community emergency feeding programs.

I love it!! You can also donate canned food to City Harvest at the exhibit. Can you believe there wasn't a can to be found in any of the stores I popped into en route down there? I made an online donation when I got home instead.

BabushCAN by Thornton Tomasetti is made with 3,472 cans - tuna fish, peaches in pear juice, beef broth, vegetarian beans in tomato sauce, pork and beans in tomato sauce, pink beans (pink beans???? I've never come across those before) and green beans - and will feed 2,000 New Yorkers.

FEASTer Island by Leslie E Robertson Associates is made with 2,500 cans - black beans, green beans, mixed vegetables, peas and carrots, spinach, sweet peas and tuna fish - and will feed 1,300 New Yorkers

Cups Can Only Spill... by Gilsanz Murray Steficek, LLP is one of my favourites. It's made with 5,180 cans - tuna in water is listed as the only ingredient - and will feed 1,600 New Yorkers.

Comida Cubes, by GACE Consulting Engineers PC, was made from 2,680 cans - tomato sauce, green beans, corn niblets, pears, tomato ketchup - will feed 2,100 New Yorkers.

It's pretty impressive how all these green cans stay balanced like that. A tourist obviously felt the same way as he reached out to touch the sculpture, despite the white rope, lurid green cones and 'DO NOT TOUCH STRUCTURE' signage clearly indicating that it wouldn't be a wise move. I'll admit that I braced myself for a crash, but fortunately nothing happened.

Downside-Up is by HLW International and is made with 3,350 cans - beans, vegetables, soup and chili - and will feed 3,200 New Yorkers.

Battleships!!! I used to love that game when I was a kid. It's a Hit (to Hunger) is by Ennead Architects and is made with 7,146 cans - tuna fish, sardines and tomato paste - and will feed 3,000 New Yorkers

A Smart Way To End Hunger is by National Reprographics Inc is made from 6,072 cans and 192 bags of beans - tuna, cut green beans, vienna sausage, guava paste (fancy!!) and black beans - and will feed 2,300 New Yorkers. I love the use of the bags of black beans for tires.

The exhibit runs through November 22nd and is open from 10am-7am every day on the second floor of the Winter Garden of The World Financial Center.