What is 42 Hours of Re_Creativity?

42 Hours of Re_creativity is a competition of creative reuse. Interdisciplinary student teams bring together skills from their respective disciplines to design, plan, and execute a product that reuses commonly-discarded materials in innovative ways.  Teams use the period before the competition to plan their project, gather materials, and consult with a faculty adviser.  No building happens during this time.  Teams meet for an All-Team Meeting, which explains the rules, logistics, and judging criteria of the competition, and the Mid-Point Review, where they receive feedback from faculty consultants.  The build phase of the competition takes place over 42 hours. Teams that are able to must build their project in the Duderstadt Center.  Projects are judged by a special panel of professionals and a public reception is held to celebrate each team’s accomplishment.

What is Creative Re_Use?

To reuse is to use an item more than once. This includes conventional reuse, where the item is used again for the same function (wash and re-use a paper cup), and “new life” reuse, where an item is used for a new function (use a paper cup to make a telephone). By taking useful products and re-imagining them, reuse saves time, money, energy, and other resources.  In broader economic terms, reuse offers affordable, high-quality products to people and organizations, and generates long-term, viable business activity and jobs.

The current environmental crisis forces us to re-examine our current rates of consumption and waste production. It challenges us to rethink our definition of waste. “Wasted” resources can be imbued with new life when creative minds discover new uses for them. 42 Hours of Re_Creativity challenges student teams to put on their thinking caps and come up with innovative solutions for repurposing and reusing formerly wasted resources into creative and socially poignant projects.

Why 42 hours?

42 is 24 backwards.42 is a primary pseudoperfect number.42 degrees is the angle at which a rainbow appears.42 is Deep Thought’s Ultimate Answer to the Ultimate Question of life, the universe, and everything (from Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy).We are looking for unconventional, creative, different, and innovative projects. If we are looking for out-of-the-box thinking, 48 hours just won’t do.

42 is the solution.

Who can participate?

Graduate and undergraduate students currently enrolled in any University of Michigan  school or and college may participate.

Who can be on my team?

Each team must have members from at least three different University of Michigan schools or colleges, two of which must be located on North Campus. Teams should also enlist the help of a faculty adviser, from whom they can seek advice. The 42-hour challenge is explicitly designed to foster interdisciplinary collaboration and team-building involving students in engineering, architecture, the visual and performing arts, and other U-M units. There is a lot to be gained from working with people in different fields — difficult as that can be.

How many people can I have on my team?

You must have 3-5 members, from at least three different UofM Schools of Colleges.

Ex. Three people, one from LS&A, one from SMTD, one from Engineering. 

For double-majors, each individual counts as having one major, but you may apply either of their majors to meet the requirement.  

Ex.  Three people, one double majoring in Music and Engineering, one in Engineering, and one in LS&A; would be acceptable.

Will all registered teams compete?

Not necessarily.  At the Mid-Point Review which happens two weeks before the competition, teams must present conceptual sketches of viable, creative, and ambitious projects in order to compete.  It is at this point that the team will decide if their plan is enough to compete with, and faculty reviewers will give feedback to help with that decision.

What is the role of a faculty adviser?

Faculty advisers are to provide a sounding board for students before the competition, to help students vet ideas, process, and team composition.  Faculty advisers can volunteer to serve for an hour or two at a “help desk” at specified times during the competition as well.

What are the information sessions about?

The information sessions are designed to answer your questions, provide some ideas, and help you find teammates from other schools and colleges. Come with questions, ideas, and the determination to meet new creatives from all over campus!

Where do we get materials?

Part of the challenge is for your team to find the materials to be reused. We challenge your team to be creative in your material choices. That means not only plastic bottles or bags and cardboard: what other unused or waste material can you find? Creative solutions to the material question will lead to creative projects. Check out our Brainstorming page for suggestions and inspiration.

How much should we spend?

$50 will be provided to each team that presents a viable, creative, ambitious idea and approved building space at the mid-point review, date TBD. Teams may not use any additional funds.

What workspaces can I use?

Each team is responsible for finding a place to store materials and build their entries somewhere on U-M’s North Campus. Some suggested options to look into are the Wilson Team Center, the Art & Design Studios, the Architecture Dome, and places in the Duderstadt Center such as 1180 or DL1.   For all places, be sure to check with staff about policies and requirements to work in that space.

How will the entries be judged?

General criteria include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Creativity of the project

• Unconventionality of the material/s being reused

• Innovation in how material is applied

• Conceptual depth of the project

• Level of aesthetics/craft applied in making the project

• Successful completion

Specific criteria and benchmark scoring will be announced

What can teams hope to win?

Cash prizes will be awarded to the top three teams, and all teams have the possibility for recognition in many news outlets and among your peers.

When can I register my team?

Online registration closes October 4th. You may register your team any time before then.