22-Aug-16 – Cans of tuna, mushrooms, spinach, peas, and olives on their way to a Chicago food bank have been turned into works of art and engineering for a tenth year.

Canstruction 2016, on display near the north lobby of Merchandise Mart through September 6, pits teams of architects, engineers, and students against each other to design and build structures made entirely from full cans of food. The project benefits Greater Chicago Food Depository.

A cocktail reception is scheduled for August 30 from 5:30 to 8 p.m., in the south lobby of Merchandise Mart, at which awards will be presented in seven categories such as “structural ingenuity,” “most cans,” and “best use of labels.”

(Below) Can Gogh’s Bedroom, a canned good recreation of Vincent Van Gogh’s painting, The Bedroom, by the architecture and design firm Gensler and Skender Construction, is comprised of 7,873 cans of beans, ravioli, pees, macaroni and beef, tomatoes, and bags of rice.