The Governors Cup: An Art Installation of 30,000 Plastic Cups for FIGMENT Art Festival on Governors Island

CDR Studio, an architectural and design studio based in NYC is showcasing a site-specific installation featuring more plastic cups than your average frat party. Collecting over 30,000 reused, clear plastic cups for this installation, the Governors Cup is a “serpentine canopy” supported by trees on the parade ground on Governors Island as part of the 2014 Figment Art Festival. The plastic cups that make up the installation are both reflective and translucent, with the crochet like design enabling it to re-direct sunlight and create a living, sparkling sound whenever encountered by the wind.

Beating out 200 other proposals, CDR, in partnership with AIANY Emerging New York Architects Committee (ENYA) and the Structural Engineers Association of NY (SEAoNY), won the opportunity to showcase their design by winning the annual City of Dreams Competition. Their installation made up of plastic cups from throughout the city, made its debut this past Saturday during the Figment Art Festival on Governors Island. While being used as a public and performance space, the intention of the installation is to bring attention to the billions of plastic cups thrown out each year causing harm to the Earth’s ecosystem and atmosphere. The installation will be on display on the parade grounds of Governors Island for the remainder of the summer.

To know how much furniture/people he has created with all the plastic cups he has never thrown out, contact the author @TatteredFedora