HOW COOL IS YOUR STOOL: RESHAPING THE CITY.

HOW COOL IS YOUR STOOL: RESHAPING THE CITY competition is taking place in the context of American cities under extremely severe aesthetic predicaments. Following the recent events in North Africa, we want to revisit Le Corbusier’s question: Architecture or Revolution? Architecture carves an irreversible first impression on the culture of cities; we can no longer endure the way that banality of our skylines misrepresents the spirit of our times. This competition is proposed in conjunction with TEDx25thWard in Chicago under the same title, Architecture or Revolution? We are rewarding the 25 winners based on how cool their stools are – the winners will construct their designs, exhibit the work with the speakers, and sit on it during the event. They will be laid out like Koolhaas’ City of Captive Globe in the first rows of the audience.

OBJECTIVE: CITY OF ARCHI-CHARACTERS


The Cool Stools are scaled models of architectural massing. They can be thought of as figural beings with personalities. In other words, this re-shaped “city” will be a collection of archi-characters.

THE CHALLENGE: COOL STOOLS
The challenge is to make the cool stools sturdy enough to sit on during the TEDx25thWard event. How does one tell a story with one image? The difficulty of this project is calibrating complexity of thought into one single massing. As well, in keeping with the world-class quality that TED and TEDx upkeeps, we are looking for the caliber of work that can make history with us in Architecture or Revolution.  

DESIGN CONSTRAINTS: 


1. The Cool Stool must be designed within an 18”Wx18”Lx20”H volume.

2. Must be an impressionable archi-character, icon or a legible figure at one glance. The design should refrain from simplistic 2-D extrusion of any kind. It is suggested that it be a project that can be easily nicknamed – “the Sphinx”, “the Inverted Wedding Cake”, “the Duck”, “the Contortionist”, etc.  Generic boxes or conventional stools will not be considered.

3. Although massing is the desired effect, contestants are allowed to use color for the façade. The surface treatment should not overpower the form/posture of the archi-character. Please remember to keep the part-to-whole relationship in mind.

4. Though cool, the entry should still function as a stool. This project demands the designers to design something formally challenging and structurally sound.

5. Contestants are expected to manage their own budget, schedule and constructability. The competition will assist up to $50 per winning entry to be reimbursed with valid receipts.

ELIGIBILITY

“Professional” amateurs are invited to enter. In other words, students and professionals in the discipline of art, architecture and design are encouraged to participate. “Professional” professionals  are those individuals with 5 years of professional experience or more. If you fit this definition and wish to attend the conference, please seek to do so through the general audience application found on the TEDx25thWard website (www.tedx25thward.com). Work would of poor quality that appears to be from the hands of amateur amateurs will be disqualified. Students on summer holidays are especially encouraged to participate.

This competition is limited to individual entry only. No group entries allowed. Individuals may make multiple entries, but should refrain from producing works that are too self-similar.

Note:
The contestant does not have to be from Chicago, but if his or her submission wins, he or she is expected to make the trip to the TEDx25thWard conference by his/her own means.

TIMELINE:


May 11 2011: Competition announced
June 11 2011: Competition due
June 13 2011: Jury session
June 17 2011: Winners announced
August 03 2011: Delivery of Completed Constructions Arrived to Site
August 06 2011: TEDx 25th Ward CHICAGO

SUBMISSION
Please submit the following via email to [email protected]

One single jpg (1650 x 1650 pixels at 150 dpi, RGB). Center the image of the stool on the page and leave a 1” margin on the top and bottom of the page. Use only Oblique Projection (135°, 135°, 90°). (LASTNAME_TITLE.jpg, below).
Four elevations, one perspective and construction diagram in one single multipage pdf (LASTNAME_TITLE_DWG.pdf, below).
Name, Age, Project Title, Occupation, Affiliation, Address, email address in a separate pdf file (LASTNAME_CONTACT, below).
Title your project with something catchy and smart, and write a 150-word description (LASTNAME_TEXT.pdf, below).

Prepare your files as follows into one single zip file:
LASTNAME_TITLE.jpg
LASTNAME_TITLE_DWG.pdf
LASTNAME_CONTACT.pdf
LASTNAME_TEXT.pdf

JURY
Robert E. Somol
Jimenez Lai
Thom Moran
Andrew Kovacs
Grant Gibson
Sean Lally
Ania Jaworska
Bryn E Namavari

PRIZE
$50 will be awarded towards the construction of the stool per winner.
A space reserved for the TEDx25thWard Chicago event. You gain your entry by how cool your stool is.

EVENT
About TEDx, x = independently organized event
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized. (Subject to certain rules and regulations.)

About TED
TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Started as a four-day conference in California 26 years ago, TED has grown to support those world-changing ideas with multiple initiatives. At TED, the world's leading thinkers and doers are asked to give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes. Talks are then made available, free, at TED.com. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Benoit Mandelbrot, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Isabel Allende and former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Two major TED events are held each year: The TED Conference takes place every spring in Long Beach, California (along with a parallel conference, TEDActive, in Palm Springs), and TEDGlobal is held each summer in Edinburgh, Scotland.

TED’s media initiatives include TED.com, where new TEDTalks are posted daily; the new TED Conversations, enabling broad conversations among TED fans; and the Open Translation Project, which provides subtitles and interactive transcripts as well as the ability for any TEDTalk to be translated by volunteers worldwide.

TED has established the annual TED Prize, where exceptional individuals with a wish to change the world are given the opportunity to put their wishes into action; TEDx, which offers individuals or groups a way to host local, self-organized events around the world; and the TED Fellows program, helping world-changing innovators from around the globe to become part of the TED community and, with its help, amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities.

For information about TED's upcoming conferences, visit http://www.ted.com/registration

Follow TED on Twitter at http://twitter.com/TEDTalks, or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/TED

QUESTIONS
Please forward questions to [email protected]