Packaging as art: Scotch Off the Roll Tape Sculpture Contest

Being one of the more avid purveyors of wacky, weird, and offbeat stories that have to do with packaging — if only tenuously — I’m not sure how I missed this one.

My legions of fans (*ahem, hack, cough*), please forgive me for not bringing you this important update last week.

All kidding aside, this is some very cool work. Amazing what a mountain of talent, lots of time, and a few hundred feet of tape can accomplish.

And please, no “is this sustainable?” comments pleez. This is art, man — it automatically gets a free pass!
Tape Sculpture Contest Winner Announced

Elizabeth K. Lee Wins $5,000 in National Scotch Brand Off The Roll Contest

ST. PAUL, MN — Scotch Brand awarded Elizabeth K. Lee from Spring Valley, Wis., a $5,000 cash prize in the Scotch Off the Roll Tape Sculpture Contest, sponsored by 3M. Lee took her creativity off the roll by designing and constructing “Can I Keep Him,” a tape sculpture depicting a larger than life goldfish swimming in a clear bag. Her sculpture ’stuck’ in the minds of the judging panel, beating out more than 135 other tape sculpture entries.

“The Scotch Off The Roll Tape Sculpture Contest provided an opportunity for people to showcase their originality using a unique art medium, packaging tape,” said Darrell G. Coutu, Marketing Director for the Stationery Products Division at 3M. “The strength and durability of Scotch Packaging Tape inspired artists across the country to create some amazing entries, from jellyfish and octopuses to peacocks and pop icons. The judges had a tough decision to make.”

About the contest:

* Creative minds constructed tape sculptures using Scotch Packaging Tape, and submitted photos, unique sculpture names and brief descriptions to www.OfftheRollContest.com

* 139 total entries received over 43,000 votes from November 4, 2009 through February 28, 2010. Entries were open to a public vote, which accounted for 10 percent of the final scores

Winning entries were chosen by a panel of experts on the following criteria: creativity, execution, presentation and online public votes

“Having used packaging tape to create sculptures for years, I was really impressed by the caliber of entries,” said Mark Jenkins, artist and judge for The Scotch Off The Roll Tape Sculpture Contest. “Each entry was unique and creative in its own right. I really enjoyed the judging experience and am inspired for my own work.”

About the first prize winners:

* The following three runners up received a $500 prize and a case of Scotch Premium Performance Packaging Tape:
o Eli Brumley from Hernando, Miss., created “Trapeze Artist”
o Fu Yong Ng from St. Cloud, Minn., created “Surprising Guest!”
o Lyndsey Plute from Bellingham, Wash., created “‘Gone’ Fishing”

About the judging panel:

* Submissions were judged by a panel of noted artists:

o Mark Jenkins: American artist most widely known for the street installations he creates using Scotch Packaging Tape; Maintains the website www.TapeSculpture.org and teaches the tape casting process in workshops around the world

o Joe Davidson: Nationally-recognized sculptor who works with disparate materials, including Scotch Tape, to create large-scale installations; Exhibits art throughout North America

o Jesse Nolan: Toy sculptor and art teacher at The Paxon School for Advanced Studies in Jacksonville, Florida; Incorporates the use of Scotch Packaging Tape as an art medium in workshops and classes.

Check out the contest website to see the winners.

SOURCE: 3M