Sukkah City facts for kids
Sukkah City was a fun Architectural design competition and art show held in New York City's Union Square Park in September 2010. It invited designers to create new and interesting versions of a special hut called a sukkah.
What Is a Sukkah?
A sukkah is a temporary hut used during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. This holiday remembers when the Children of Israel lived in temporary shelters. They used these huts during their 40 years of traveling in the desert after leaving Ancient Egypt. For seven days each autumn, many Jewish people still build and spend time in sukkahs.
The Sukkah City competition wanted designers to imagine what a sukkah could look like in modern times. It was a way to mix old traditions with new ideas in art and building.
The Sukkah City Competition
The competition was announced in May 2010, and hundreds of designers, artists, and architects entered. A group of art critics and architects chose 12 winning designs from over 600 entries.
These 12 winning sukkahs were built and then displayed in Union Square Park on September 19 and 20, 2010. Visitors to the park could vote for their favorite design. The sukkah that won the "People’s Choice Award" was called Fractured Bubble. It was designed by Henry Grosman and Babak Bryan. This special sukkah stayed in the park for the entire seven days of the Sukkot holiday.
Journalists Joshua Foer and Roger Bennett came up with the idea for Sukkah City. An organization called Reboot, which helps promote Jewish culture, sponsored the event.
Rules for Designing a Sukkah
The competition had special rules for the sukkah designs. These rules came from Halakha, which is Jewish law. Here are some of the main requirements:
- A sukkah must be a temporary building.
- The roof must be made from plants that you can't eat.
- The roof needs to be thick enough to give shade during the day.
- But the roof also needs to be thin enough so you can see the stars through it at night.
- The walls must be at least 10 "handsbreadths" tall (about 30-40 inches). They can be made from almost any material.
Joshua Foer, one of the organizers, explained that a sukkah is a place to "practice homelessness." He meant it helps people remember the huts the Israelites lived in long ago. It also helps them feel empathy for people today who don't have a solid home.
One of the winning designs was called the Sukkah of the Signs. It was created by architects Ronald Rael and Virginia San Fratello. This sukkah was covered with hundreds of signs that homeless people had collected from around the United States.
Images for kids
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The "Fractured Bubble" sukkah, chosen by the public.
