By Julie Shapiro
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
BATTERY PARK CITY — Is it art or is it food?
The 25 gravity-defying sculptures that took over the World Financial Center Winter Garden this week aim to be both — and to serve a good cause, too.
The annual Canstruction competition challenges city designers to build innovative, quirky statues entirely from non-perishable foods. After the exhibit ends Nov. 22, all 100,000 cans will be donated to City Harvest to feed hungry New Yorkers.
One of the most arresting sculptures this year is a depiction of Nintendo’s Mario made from 3,600 cans of green beans, tomato sauce, refried beans, black beans, sauerkraut, bean salad and sweet peas.
Other standouts include a replica of the Standard Hotel made of 4,056 cans of tuna fish and green beans and a statue of King Kong climbing the Empire State Building made of 3,000 cans of corn, mixed vegetables, cranberry sauce and potatoes.
"It makes a lot of people smile," said Debra Simon, artistic director of Arts World Financial Center, which has hosted the local exhibit of Canstruction the past three years. "It’s something a wide variety of audiences can interact with."
On Monday, a panel of judges including chef Rocco DiSpirito and Bravo Top Chef Gail Simmons will award six prizes, including best meal and best use of labels.
Tourists and local workers flocked to the exhibit during lunchtime on Thursday to see the newly constructed sculptures.
Twelve-year-old Zach Newton was drawn to the Mario statue, created by Severud Associates Consulting Engineers.
"I’ve always been inspired by Mario," said Newton, who was visiting from Alabama. "Some people might just think this is a sculpture with cans that looks like Mario. But for me, this is like — I can’t describe it."
Alvin Chang, 46, a New Jersey resident who works in the World Financial Center, stopped to take a picture of a tall orange ribbon made of 1,600 cans of beef ravioli. He said he planned to come back this weekend with his children.
"I think my kids will love it," Chang said. "They’ll definitely be happy to see it."
Although the sculptures literally appear overnight in the World Financial Center, the teams spend months designing and engineering them.
"There are a lot of technical pieces to it, but it’s fun," said Judith Kunoff, chief architect for New York City Transit, who has participated the past two years.
This year, the New York City Transit team depicted a scene from the picture book "The Little Engine That Could" and named the sculpture "I Think I ‘Can.’" The engine itself and the 5-foot-tall picture book behind it are made of 3,369 cans of guava paste, olives, green beans and more.
The design relies on gravity, cardboard and a little bit of tape to keep all the cans in place, Kunoff said. Asked how sturdy the sculpture is, Kunoff laughed.
"Don’t push on it, that’s all I have to say," she said.
Canstruction will be on display in the World Financial Center Winter Garden from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily through Nov. 21 and until 5 p.m. Nov. 22. The suggested donation is a can of food.
