The Readymade MacGyver Challenge (A Contest for You Creative Types Out There)

In my penultimate hub, I made a brilliant comparison between the artist Duchamp and secret agent MacGyver, suggesting that each of them, in his own unique and inimitable fashion, made invaluable contributions to the tradition of "The Readymade"--the Readymade being, essentially, a clever, creative, or meaningful way to take an everyday sort of "Found Object" and use it in a new and unexpected way.

Turns out I am not alone in my brilliance. My hat's off to the folks at Readymade Magazine, who seem to have also made a connection between the Readymade (a term coined by Marcel Duchamp) and the wizardly off-the-cuff improvisations of MacGyver (things like making welding torches out a racing bike frame, or plugging an acid leak with chocalate).

Readymade the Magazine actually features a MacGyver Challenge. The current MacGyver Challenge has a deadline of November 17th, 2008. Each Challenge has a theme, I believe, and the current theme is "Pots and Pans". The challenge is to take pots and pans that are perhaps on their last legs as serviceable kitchen ware and to turn them to new uses.

Judging from featured entries from past Readymade challenges, "new uses" for pots and pans could range from "chic decor" to "environmentally conscious reusing/recycling" to "clever engineering solutions" to "gee-whiz neato gadgets". Past challenges winners include:

• Salt and pepper shakers made from old lightbulbs,
• A purse made from worn-out curtains,
• A curtain made from second-hand compact discs,
• A telephone with a built in Rolodex,
• A seedbed made from a recycled phonebook,
• A surprisingly cool minimalist lamp made from c.d. jewel cases,
• An interesting looking clock made from a VCR video cassette.
• An impressively designed clock made from c.d. cases and a c.d. mounted on the wall (see the below "Bumbershoot" link for a look!)

Prizes include a subscription to the magazine and an official Readymade T-Shirt-- perhaps small potatoes, but money isn't everything-- think of the fun and satisfaction of putting your brilliance to work, enjoying the brilliance of other submissions, and maybe getting some free publicity for your masterpiece.

So-- Do you have the DIY Bug? Do you have a flair for Do It Yourself projects, and a knack for explaining the "How To" of it to others? If, so, take the Readymade MacGyver Challenge! 

P.S. Check out the link below to Readymade's submissions guidelines. If you have a great idea for an article on a project, trend, or cultural theme, this could be your venue for sharing it with the world!