Artists to create Holidays Unboxed: A Spectacle of Cardboard and Tape at Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose

November 29, 2012 - San Jose, CA:  Imagine what would happen if cardboard and tape were given the chance to come to life…

This weekend, Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose (CDM) will begin the creation of Holidays Unboxed: A Spectacle of Cardboard and Tape.  Building off the most basic of holiday materials – tape and cardboard – artists and makers will transform the inside of the Museum’s streetscape through two iconic art installations.  Emerging from rolls of packing tape, Tape Scape by Eric Lennartson, will become a maze evocative of an ice sculpture.  Constructed out of ordinary cardboard, a large scale hanging sculptureby the Cardboard Institute of Technology will reach high overhead in the center of the Museum

Armed with more than 300 rolls of packing tape donated by Molex Corporation, artist and architect Eric Lennartson will lead CDM staff and volunteer helpers on a journey to construct Tape Scape.  Reminiscent of ice crystals forming, fourteen miles of tape will be stretched and interlaced over a metal structure, creating an immersive, interactive ice inspired environment to delight children and adults. 

A steel armature built by Protoform shoots up twenty-five feet into the middle of the Museum, ready for the San Francisco-based artist collective known as the Cardboard Institute for Technology (CIT) to install a large-scale hanging sculpture.   Made from recycled cardboard, the creation will unfold, flex, and fan out into newfound forms.    Visitors will be awestruck at the unlimited possibilities of recycled materials. 

Come see cardboard and tape coming to life as you’ve never seen them before, curling, bending and folding into wondrous worlds that will reach from floor to ceiling at Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose. 

Holidays Unboxed: A Spectacle of Cardboard and Tape will be open to the public from December 15, 2012, through February 3, 2013.  At the close of the exhibition, the materials will be reused, giving them a chance to experience life for a third time, and inspiring visitors to think “outside the box.” 

Artist installation schedule:

·         Tape Scape – Artist Eric Lennartson and volunteers will be onsite Saturday and Sunday, December 1 and 2, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. daily.  Installation will continue with volunteers daily through Wednesday December 5.

·         Hanging sculpture – Cardboard Institute of Technology will be onsite to install Monday, December 3 from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. 

ABOUT CHILDREN’S DISCOVERY MUSEUM OF SAN JOSE

With over 150 interactive exhibits and programs, Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose (CDM) is one of the largest museums of its kind in the nation.  Since opening its doors in 1990, CDM has welcomed over 6 million visitors and has offered new exhibits each year that respond to children's diverse educational needs. The striking 52,000 square foot purple building was designed by Mexico City-based architect Ricardo Legorreta and is a beacon of discovery. Encompassing the broad themes of community, connections and creativity, hands-on exhibits invite self-directed, open-ended explorations.  For more information about the Museum, visit www.cdm.org.

ABOUT ERIC LENNARTSON

Eric Lennartson is an Architectural Designer and Marketing Development Coordinator for Paulson Architects in Minnesota.  Eric has over 13 years of professional design experience, and is a LEED Accredited Professional.  Eric is also the Building Chair and board member of the Children’s Museum of Southern Minnesota, a new emerging museum based in the Mankato area and the first home of aTape Scape installation.

ABOUT CARDBOARD INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

At its core, The Cardboard Institute of Technology (C.I.T.) is a collective of artists, technologists and handymen dedicated to the development, functionality and everyday practice of art...through cardboard and other means. The Institute is a multifaceted hub for Collective Art Practice, Educational Workshop Development and Instruction.  C.I.T. is an Epic Design and Fabrication and storytelling collective Studio.

The Cardboard Institute of Technology was formed in 2007 by Joshua Short and Scott Falkowski. In 2008 CIT created its first official show "Welcome to Cardburg.”  Since its inception the group has grown into an art collective that reaches far and wide.