For the second time we organized a workshop for the festival Meziprostor in Czech republic. This year we chose to repurpose discarded materials for a small contemplation space.
The workshop took place on the 76th anniversary of rather gloomy event, the Trinity test. On July 16th 1945 the first nuclear device was detonated. This date marks out a milestone for the Anthropocene era. It manifests the enormous capacity of human activity and the scale it operates on. In this sense we reflected on the processes within the building industry that also negatively affect our environment on global scale. In a three-day span we touched on gaining the building material, constructing it and dealing with it after its lifespan.
Practically the main task was to cultivate some place so one could sit there and enjoy a moment apart from the main stage, the lectures and workshops happening all around the area. We chose to adapt an existing steel structure situated on a steep terrain above a small lake. With a view over the lake, surrounded by greenery this abandoned structure seemed to fit to that purpose.
After few adjustments to the existing frame we were able to build upon it. The main mass hovers about one meter above the terrain with a view over the lake, being recognizable from the access path below.
Almost all material that we used for the construction was reclaimed from various building projects (discarded shade net, wooden frames from a house renovation, leftover palettes, steel rods and wires). We have come up with a simple detail fitting the net to the steel rods by halving old tennis ball. Beside that we only bought few fasteners (washers, nuts, screws and zip ties). And of course we tanked our van that got us there.
The concept was further extended by our friends from artistic platform Karavana. During the festival 14 separate installations situated along the path to this place. Each of these installations represents one “station of the cross” in the tradition of a Calvary.