Highland Park The Ant Farm Makes Clothing Into Food

A local Highland Park maker group was celebrated for its innovative design in making clothing into food at the second annual Deconstruction, a global game that challenged entrants to rethink objects and ideas. The event took place via a live Internet stream November 14-16 and connected more than 25 teams from around the world.

The Ant Farm team took home the Best Video Award for creating not only an exceptional project but having the ability to capture the project and experience in a compelling video.

Their video of deconstructing textiles by creating fabric into food showed a fun, somewhat sexy intro that focused on the team dancing some of their clothing nearly off before it was turned into planters that grew vegetables and succulent plants True to form, The Ant Farm team was made up of a collaborative of environmental and artistic sustainability and creativity.

The global event and game about rethinking objects and ideas encouraged participants to tinker with the concepts and assumptions that construct reality in order to make the world a better or more interesting place.

The Deconstruction participants had only 48 hours, and were challenged to use resources they had readily available and to use as little money as possible. As always, the “un­competition” was open to anyone, anywhere, of any age and skill level.

More than 25 teams from around the world competed in The Deconstruction, including teams from the US, Africa, Spain, Lithuania and China who created cars, deconstructed the written word, helped community members in need and even deconstructed the making of a toasted marshmallow.

The range of the work teams completed was vast; hence, keeping the open-ended event on point and unique. Teams communicated through live web chatting and video streaming via The Deconstruction website, as well as through social media channels.

“The diversity in nationality, age and background made for brilliant and incredibly unique final submissions,” said Deconstruction founder Jason Naumoff, who is a Bay-Area based real-world game designer in his day job.

“I think everyone involved walked away inspired, motivated and a little more positive about the world around them. That’s what this project is about at its core.”

The Deconstruction Award, Best Video and Problem Solving Awards were the awards given to three worthy teams.

Other winners from the event included New Orleans based Imagine Nation who won the Problem Solving Award for their post-Katrina “ARTchitecture” initiative, which involved rebuilding homes damaged by Hurricane Katrina, with a unique artistic and aesthetic twist.

The Deconstruction Award was presented to a group of high school students for embodying the spirit of the event.

The North Springs Laser Sharks of Sandy Springs, Ga. was composed of a team of high school students from the North Springs Charter High School Science and Art Magnet program. Its final project, which resembled a large-scale Etch-A Sketch-art machine, rethought the ideas of both art, mechanics and human interaction. 

Judging was based on a combination of concept, re-use of old objects and ideas, as well as documentation that demonstrated their process. The overall winning team won a Pegasus Touch 3D Laser Printer from FSL3D.

The Deconstruction is a non-profit initiative for global good. It is a non­-branded event with the sole purpose of empowering people around the world to think, rethink, collaborate and have fun.