Canstruction 2016
For the third year in a row, my mom and I recently checked out the Canstruction exhibit at Brookfield Place in lower Manhattan. Canstruction is an annual charity art exhibition featuring sculptures made entirely out of canned goods. After the exhibition is over, all of the food is donated to local food banks. It's an easy and fun thing (and free, although a food donation is suggested) for us to do together, and by now it feels like tradition.
During the past three years Brookfield Place, located across from the World Trade Tower, has also grown into a full-blown retail space, filled with shops and restaurants. My mom and I were laughing at the high-end shops and wondering who actually shopped there, but then we ended up in Aldo trying on shoes and buying purses, so I guess the answer is "us." This year's sculptures weren't as clever or impressive as previous years, but it was still a nice way to spend a leisurely Saturday.
New York-centric sculptures are always my favorite, and Pizza Rat (and his googly eyes) definitely made me laugh. I also enjoy when a team comes up with a clever name (I'm still thinking about the "Sta'tuna' of Liberty") and this year's best pun was the Starry Night by Vincent "Can" Gogh. I wouldn't know where to start in building one of these sculptures, but I do know that the team that built the Guggenheim definitely squandered the opportunity to call it the "GuggenHam."