By Samuel Medina/ south news editor

Canned tuna and hominy became a masterpiece in the hands of South architecture students for the annual Canstruction competition during the State Fair of Texas.

Arnie Radman, architectural technology coordinator, and 15 of his students used around 4,500 cans to create their sculpture with the theme “passport to end hunger.”

The sculpture the students created shows the contours of the state with colored disks on top of the cans along with pictures that pinpoint major cities that make up Texas.

The cans used to build the sculpture will be donated to the Tarrant Area Food Bank once the competition is over.

South Campus has been participating since 2002 and has since donated around 150,000 cans to the Tarrant Area Food Bank, Radman said.

“I think the largest number of cans we had one year was seven or eight thousand,” he said. “We got financial support from the community and TCC this year, so it was kind of like a school project in a way.”

BBP Architects helped come up with the design and other details, Radman said.

“We started planning in late May,” he said. “We’re the only school that participates on a consistent basis. Preparing for the design takes a lot of time and effort. It’s a whole planning process. That’s why it’s good for the students.”

South architecture student Dylan Harper said Canstruction required a lot of teamwork.

“It was a cool experience. I thought it would be pretty boring at first, but going into it, it was actually cool,” he said. “It was fun watching the other sculptures fall. I look forward to next year.”

Radman said it’s key to do a practice build before the competition.

“You run into problems you don’t anticipate,” he said. “Students have to integrate the color of the cans into the design. They got a kick out of it.”

The students get to experience an actual building project, Radman said.

“I think it’s good for the students,” he said. “It’s the process of putting a building together. They have to work on designing and figuring out how they’re going to take that design and implement it into cans. It’s a real learning tool.”

South student Gabriela Membreno said she has never done something like Canstruction, and it was interesting.

“I really liked seeing the thought process of other people,” she said. “I thought the others would have more buildings, but it wasn’t like that at all. It was more using what you have to make it stand out.”

The Canstruction sculpture can be seen at the State Fair in the Science Building at Fair Park in Dallas. The sculpture will be taken down Oct. 18 and will be relocated to the Energy Building on South Campus.

Although TCC did not win any awards this year from the judges, it’s about the feeling of accomplishment, Radman said.

The competition may be over, but the People’s Choice award will continue through Oct. 18. Anyone can vote by going to www.OneCanFortWorth.com and donate a minimum of $5.

Each dollar donated counts as one vote, and all of the proceeds go to Tarrant Area Food Bank. The winner will be announced Oct. 24.