The deadline for submissions is being extended to Monday, May 17 at 11:59pm CST to allow the entirety of the weekend to complete awesome pieces of design for the grain elevator.  Thanks to the many who have already sent us your submissions.

22,000 SQ. FT. is the mantra recited in Nick Sopers head these days.  As Emerging Terrain’s Banner Installation Program Assistant, he is responsible for figuring out how to hang 22,000 square feet of art on the enormous convex concrete silo structures and then making it happen.

We immediately thought of Nick for this endeavor, for a variety of reasons.  Almost 10 years ago, while taking a park planning course with our director, Anne, Nick relayed an adventure story from his weekend.  Apparently he and a friend decided to gather up their rock climbing gear and put it to use on a nearby abandoned grain elevator.  When mountains are not a part of the local landscape vernacular, the creative, adventure seeking imagination will begin to see anything large and vertical as a potential mountain.  Not really thinking about this adventure as trespassing, Nick and his friend were surprised to soon be in conversation with a local law enforcement agent.

Nick is a landscape architect having recently acquired a Masters of Landscape Architecture from the University of Colorado – Denver and currently conducts site-specific landscape interventions with the Nebraska Department of Roads. Although he is interested in all aspects of design and planning, what really gets him worked up is construct-ability – how all the parts work together.

Nick previously managed budgeting and installation of projects based on written construction specifications for smaller landscape projects throughout Nebraska and Colorado.  In Nick’s spare time he is an avid recreational rock climber, cyclist, and bike mechanic, which combined with his experience overseeing construction, brings the necessary skills to plan and coordinate this massive installation.  Come September, Nick will regularly be seen dangling by a rope or standing on a giant hydraulic lift at the grain elevator.

1.What does the attachment mechanism of the banners to the structure look like?

The banners will be folded over a curved steel bar at the top, which will not be visible, and then attached directly to the structure with stainless steel anchors and grommets every 3-4′ down both sides and across the bottom.

2. Are there particular ‘images’ you are looking for on the 3 open image pages?

These pages have purposefully been left open to the entrants discretion, but we highly advise showing us what your image will look like on the actual structure, and at the proportions of the 20′x80′ finished piece. Please do not send us a picture of a square painting with no connection to the grain elevator or the size and shape of the banners.  This is a site specific installation and since the topic is ultimately about context and the greater contemporary regional landscape, specifically the importance of this structure within that, please consider this in your submission.

3. Are you looking for agricultural images only?

No.  Again, the focus of this competition is about much more than agriculture.

4. Is there a way to find out how much grain was stored in these structures throughout their life as such?

We do not have that information, but you are welcome to do research about this from the grain company that owned the elevator, Foxley and Sons – later acquired by Scoular.

5. What is the composition of the final printed banners?

The final banners will be a product called Mesh Summit (Mesh 100) meaning that it is as mesh with 100 squares/inch.  It is polyester that is coated on both sides with PVC, although we are hoping to find a different coating material and are exploring this with the print company.

The Call for Submissions has been out for 5 days and questions are rolling in from all over the world. It seems Europe, South America and the West Coast are hitting the ground running from the outset. For the benefit of everyone currently working on a submission, thinking about their submission, or thinking about getting started on a submission, here are the most frequently asked questions during Week 1:

1. Can non-U.S. citizens submit an entry? 
Of course! This is a competition open to anyone with an idea. We have distributed the call nationwide (in the U.S.) but certainly are not discriminating where entries originate. The more ideas from more places and points of view the better.

2. How many silos am I designing?
Each submission is for 1 silo (20′x80′ panel), but you can submit as many separate ideas/concepts as you would like.

3. For the three pages of images in the submission packet, is that 3 images of 1 design per entry, or can an entrant send in 3 separate designs.
All three image pages must relate to the single idea for a single panel as described in the explanation paragraph on page two of all submissions. The three image pages are included and left open to give each entrant options in best representing the image/idea.

4. I would like to submit three separate proposals. Should I include all three within one submission packet/PDF, or generate a separate submission packet/PDF for each concept?
You can submit as many concepts as you would like, but each one needs to be represented on its own and submitted separately from the others and as a complete packet/PDF. The jurors will view each entry individually and anonymously and in succession with the explanation paragraph that precedes the images.

5. Should I plan to submit my final image as part of the 3 images requested in the call for submissions, or will there be time to create the work to scale if my proposal is accepted for reproduction?
There will be a 3-4 week period between the selection process and requiring a full DPI image for print from the selected submissions. We will work with the print company to achieve the best possible output on each designed image to convey its content and purpose. That being said, this phase of the process we are looking for concise, creative, and meaningful conceptual entries.

6. Will the elevator be lit at night?
Yes, the silos and the images will be lit by wall mounted fixtures at the base of the structure. We haven’t yet settled on a specific lighting technology, which will determine how many lights, but we will work to ensure the best display.

7. What is the volume of a silo?
Each silo, at its floorplate, is about 500 sq. ft. However, the heights of the individual silos vary – from 90-110 ft. From these numbers you can calculate the storage capacity.

8. What is diameter of a silo?
25 ft.

9. What crops was the elevator used to hold?
Corn and soybeans

10. Are there any high resolution images of the site, sections/elevations/CAD files available?
Since this is a competition for only a temporary skin of an individual silo, with set dimension, there are no additional images being provided. If there are specific dimensions or volumes you need to direct your concept, we are happy to provide those upon your request.

We are excited to announce that the full slate of jurors has been selected for Stored Potential.  The esteemed group of professionals will come together on May 22 at the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts to review all submissions and select those to be printed and installed on the grain elevator:

Jamie Hand
Van Alen Institute

Jeff Day
MIN | DAY Architects

JD Hutton
Nebraska Arts Council

Mason White
InfraNet Lab, Lateral Office, Bracket Magazine