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In The Event That...

You Play With Your Food


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Published: Apr 9, 2008

CanstructionRuns April 12-20, free, Rotunda at the Shops at Liberty Place, 1625 Chestnut St., 215-851-9055, canstruction.org

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If you're going to save the world, you might as well have some fun doing it. That's the idea behind Canstruction, an international food charity cum food sculpture tournament hosted by the American Institute of Architects. Teams of engineers plan large-scale artistic works using only canned goods, build them during a 12-hour overnight haul, and display their work for judges and the public. All of the cans used then go to charity — Philabundance, in Philly's case. Visitors can donate, too.

Originally organized by the Society for Design Administration, the annual event began in 1992 in just three cities — Denver, NYC and Seattle — but has since expanded to more than 100 locations around the world. Philadelphia just got in on the game last year, but has already established itself as a charitable, and competitive, city.

"Even though last year was our first event, the national jurors were actually really impressed with Philadelphia," says event coordinator Angel Davis. "Three of our structures made it as finalists."

To get an idea of just how remarkable these creations can be, consider last year's, which included replicas of the Ben Franklin Bridge, the Love sculpture and a giant hot dog with ketchup and mustard. "Over 13,000 cans of tuna were used in the tallest structure," says Davis. "Overall, we raised nearly 50,000 cans, and we hope to do the same this year."