<p>The Sukkah is an ancient yet ephemeral form of architecture. In 
Jewish tradition, these small temporary structures &mdash; places to share 
meals, entertain, sleep and rejoice &mdash; are erected each autumn during 
Sukkot, a weeklong harvest festival and remembrance for the 40 years 
Jews spent wandering in the desert.</p>
<p>In October, the <a href="http://samfoxschool.wustl.edu/">Sam Fox School of Design &amp; Visual Arts</a>, in partnership with <a href="http://www.stlouishillel.org/">St. Louis Hillel at Washington University </a>and <a href="http://imajewnation.org/">The Museum of ImaJewnation</a>, will host <a href="http://samfoxschool.wustl.edu/sukkahcitystl">Sukkah City STL</a>, a design competition and exhibition that reimagines the Sukkah through the lens of contemporary art and architecture.Environmental designer Mitchell Joachim - one of Rolling Stone magazine's "100 People Who Are Changing America" - will join Chicago architect Carol Ross Barney and Christopher Hawthorne, architecture critic for the Los Angeles Times, as jurors for Sukkah City STL.</p>
<p>The design competition and exhibition, which will be on view at Washington University Oct. 18-22, reimagines the traditional Jewish Sukkah through the lens of contemporary art and architecture.</p>
<p>Environmental designer Mitchell Joachim - one of Rolling Stone magazine's "100 People Who Are Changing America" - will join Chicago architect Carol Ross Barney and Christopher Hawthorne, architecture critic for the Los Angeles Times, as jurors for Sukkah City STL.</p>
<p>Rounding out the jury will be Hyim Shafner, former Chief Rabbi of India; Nancy Berg, professor of Modern Hebrew Language and Literature; and Bruce Lindsey, dean of architecture.</p>
<p>&ldquo;The
 biblical narrative of the Sukkah commemorates the temporary dwellings 
of the Israelites during their exodus from Egypt,&rdquo; says Rabbi Andrew 
Kastner of St. Louis Hillel, who is organizing the competition with 
Brian Newman, adjunct lecturer in the Sam Fox School.</p>
<p>&ldquo;But it also
 represents universal ideas of transience and permanence, as expressed 
through architecture and ritual,&rdquo; Kastner says. &ldquo;The Sukkah is a means 
of ceremonially practicing homelessness, while at the same time 
maintaining a close proximity to the comforts of our modern, sheltered 
world.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Newman, who also serves as a project manager in the university&rsquo;s facilities department, says Sukkah City STL was inspired by a <a href="http://www.sukkahcity.com/">similar competition</a> held last fall in New York. He notes that, on the question of just what
 constitutes a Sukkah, Talmudic law is at once fluid and exacting.</p>
<p>&ldquo;The
 Sukkah is less a particular building type than a set of design 
parameters and a tangle of complex juxtapositions,&rdquo; Newman says. &ldquo;The 
structure must be temporary, yet sturdy enough to remain unshaken by a 
continuous wind. It must have three walls, but only two walls need to be
 completed. It is a shelter and must include a roof, yet that roof must 
be open to the sky, allowing visitors to see the stars.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Subtitled
 &ldquo;Defining and Defying Boundaries,&rdquo; Sukkah City STL asks participants to
 focus on the role of boundaries &mdash; whether material, cultural or 
metaphorical &mdash; in defining our lives and the ways we relate to an 
increasingly global society.</p>
<p>&ldquo;The Sukkah is a kind of physical 
manifestation of boundaries,&rdquo; Kastner says. &ldquo;It both embodies both the 
promise of refuge and embraces the vulnerability of exposure to the 
elements. For participants, the challenge will be not only to build a 
Sukkah that meets the traditional criteria, but also to examine and 
express a boundary issue that exists today within our collective lives.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Sukkah
 City STL is open to artists, architects and designers of all faiths and
 backgrounds, working in teams or as individuals. The deadline for 
submissions is Wednesday, Sept. 14. A panel of architects, designers, 
critics, academics and religious thinkers will then select 10 designs 
for construction, with each project receiving a small honorarium to help
 defray building costs.</p>
<p>Completed Sukkahs will be installed on Washington University&rsquo;s Danforth Campus from Oct. 18-22.</p>
<p>&ldquo;The
 jury will be looking for projects that embrace dynamic, 
forward-thinking design possibilities; suggest new ways of interacting 
with physical space; and respond to contemporary issues such as 
homelessness, immigration and environmental sustainability,&rdquo; Kastner 
says.</p>
<p>&ldquo;Ultimately, each entry must be constructible,&rdquo; Kastner 
says. &ldquo;It must obey the ancient rules that define a Sukkah as well as 
the laws of physics.&rdquo;</p>
<p>For more information or to request detailed submission guidelines, visit <a href="http://samfoxschool.wustl.edu/sukkahcitystl">samfoxschool.wustl.edu/sukkahcitystl</a> or email <a href="mailto:sukkahcitystl@gmail.com">sukkahcitystl@gmail.com</a>. <br />&nbsp;</p>