Rammed Earth / Form Work

Earth/Frame Model Studies. Fabrication Assistance: Michael Mandac.

^{Rammed Earth Formwork and Scale Models} 
During a two week artist residency at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, I refined a technique for making raw (cement-free) rammed earth models.  I constructed a portable wooden formwork box partitioned into 10 separate compartments. I then constructed ten separate rammed earth models from local soil mixed with clay within the formwork. The resultant artefacts  intentionally lack a fixed scale. Instead, depending on their orientation and configuration, they can be interpreted as landscape features, building enclosures, single walls, or individual bricks. When combined with their wooden formwork elements, they hinted at models of regenerative architecture. In parallel to the rammed earth studies, I completed a series of mappings of the surrounding island coastlines adjacent to the Haystack grounds. Using small-scale models and digital drawings, I designed a series of coastal rammed earth interventions that act as wind breaks or erosion control elements. The models and drawings suggested a wider range of scales and applications for rammed earth in open landscapes.

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