November 1, 2008




In the Great Hall at the New York Hall of Science
November 1, 2008, 1 – 5pm

THE NEW MILLENNIUM PAPER AIRPLANE CONTEST and corresponding book by Klara Hobza is a multifaceted artwork inspired by a historic paper airplane contest that took place in 1967 at the Great Hall in what is now the New York Hall of Science. Built by Wallace K. Harrison to display rockets in the 1964 World's Fair, the Great Hall is a secular cathedral of concrete and colored glass; for Hobza's one-day event, this unique location will harbor aircraft of a different scale.

The competition is open to the public, and participants are invited to fly their planes in any and all of the judging categories listed below:

Distance flown (measured in a straight line from start point to finish point)
Duration aloft (measured from time released to time it lands on any surface)
Beauty (subjective measurement based on judges' assessment of both the plane's physical qualities and the beauty of the flight itself; this category does not depend on distance flown or duration aloft)
Spectacular Failure (subjective measurement based on the audience's assessment of both the plane's physical qualities and the most spectacular crashes)
Children's division (competition for participants under ages 13)
Surprise category
Airplanes may be folded from letter-size paper, up to 8.5" x 11" / A4, or smaller; larger sizes are not allowed. The paper should be an average office paper (20-24 lb weight). Cutting and minor gluing of your airplane is permitted; stapling is not.

Notable planes and the stories behind their design will be collected in a commemorative book by the artist, THE NEW MILLENNIUM PAPER AIRPLANE BOOK, published by Public Art Fund in spring 2009. The book will consist of airplane designs that can be torn out, folded, and flown, as well as stories by their creators.

On-line pre-registration must be completed by October 28th. Please note that registration is also possible at the event itself.

If you are unable to attend the event but would like to submit an airplane to be flown in the competition, or if you would like your airplane design to be considered for the book, you may also pre-register online by October 28. Those people submitting airplanes to the event without attending themselves may send someone to fly their planes on their behalf, otherwise a dedicated proxy thrower will be designated by the artist.

On November 1st, please come early to the event so that you have time to register and warm-up before the competition begins. The schedule follows:

12.15pm:
FREE SHUTTLE LEAVES MANHATTAN (see below for details)


1 - 2pm:
REGISTRATION
Those who have not pre-registered online can sign up in person and prepare their planes for competition. Those who have already registered will only need to confirm attendance and sign in. Planes may be folded on site with the paper provided or arrive already prepared.


WARM UP
While people sign in for the contest, contestants are invited to try out their paper airplane models on the runway. They can also warm up in the athletics section, stretching their throwing muscles and refining techniques.


2pm:
INTRODUCTION
There will be a short welcome speech by the Artist.

ANNOUNCEMENTS
The announcer will run through the categories and the rules of the competition and then announce the first heat.


2.30pm:
THROWING BEGINS
The first round of competition occurs in heats with up to 4 people throwing at once, in the designated track.
Competitors with the top 8 scores after the first round will advance to the second round where they will fly their planes a second time. The top four scores from this round will advance to the finals.
Each category's first and second rounds will be completed in full before moving on to the finals for all categories.

4pm:
GRAND FINALE
4 finalists will compete in each category's final. The winner will be chosen according to the highest score from this third-and-final-round flight.


4:30pm:
TROPHY CEREMONY
Trophies will be distributed and commemorative photographs taken.


5pm:
SHUTTLE RETURNS TO MANHATTAN
After the contest is completed, Hobza will compile the resulting documents and winning airplanes into THE NEW MILLENNIUM PAPER AIRPLANE BOOK, realizing the promise of the artist's project itself by sending airplanes from the present contest into the future, endlessly. Check back with us in the future for more details on publication, the book launch and distributors.


About Klara Hobza

Klara Hobza's previous works have focused on the human desire to communicate and explain, often exploring obscure information systems. Much of her work is performance based, and she utilizes various forms of documentation, from photography and drawing to videos, websites and vast archives of ephemera to circumscribe her practice. THE NEW MILLENNIUM PAPER AIRPLANE CONTEST is Hobza's first project to result in a book.
Hobza was born in Plzen, Czech Republic and currently lives and works in New York City. She received her MFA from Columbia University in 2005. Her work is currently on view in exhibitions at Moderna Museet, Stockholm, and Malmo Kunstmuseum, Malmo.

THE NEW MILLENNIUM PAPER AIRPLANE CONTEST by Klara Hobza is a project of the Public Art Fund program In the Public Realm, which is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts; and in part by the New York State Council on the Arts, a State Agency; and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs

THE NEW MILLENNIUM PAPER AIRPLANE CONTEST by Klara Hobza is presented in collaboration with the New York Hall of Science.

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Public Art Fund
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New York, NY 10022

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Tel: 212.980.4575
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