Residency in Massia
Working on understanding and acquiring tactile knowledge in building reciprocal frame/ self-supporting model domes, in a rural Estonian village just on the border to Latvia. While world is standing still because of pandemic, I took up a challenge and also hid away from the world in the space dedicated to the artists and their explorations. Dedicated time to reflection and exploration in my shelter-making practice.
Reciprocal/self-supporting rafter roof.
It felt natural and effortless to put stick onto stick and tie them together. When I added a concertina wall (as for the yurt) a sun-like roof for the model seamed to fall in place with ease. The reciprocal spiral associates with the sun, movement of clockwise and anticlockwise direction captured static with a crisscross wall, which is based on the triangle; a strongest shape in building (some associations with mythical pagan world: if the world would be smashed there will be only a triangle left. In Latvian folklore triangle is a sign for a god. Where wheel is a symbol of cosmic movement and energy. )
Simplifying and writing a workshop for self-supporting Dome-structure making
Design for unique dome and making a model of Da Vince dome
This was a challenging and intricate exercise, mathematically on paper it worked beautifully. But when I was scaling it up angle and length precision had to be maintained which for me might to be too tricky to keep working with natural hazel sticks to build one in large scale. Also making life-size shelter and covering it with fabric low pitch and large hollow areas cold be hard to stretch fabric over so there are no water pooling.
Exploring nearby forests and Baltic sea side.
Found interesting geometrical patterning in the ice on small forest roadside drench which looked like natural geometry is tried to be replicated in our human reciprocal structure building.
Explorations with natural fiber (hemp and linen)
My ambition for making covers for shelters would be to have them made out of natural fibers (linen, hemp, waxed cottons), even grow myself such like hemp, and explore non-woven fabrics like felt from hemp; or use and recycle linens which are no longer used at home (in Latvia many has saved hand woven linens from their dowry, and so does my mum). At Massia I made a wall-hanging in capturing rotational shape as previously explored in making models for reciprocal roof: using couple different potato sacks and linen table cloth, stitched with raw fibre linen rope.
Stitched a circular tapestry based on the pattern I found most favourable to use on making roofs for shelters. Makes me think of sun and compass.
Two weeks spend in Massia made me reflect on how significant is forest to the Baltic countries and be wary about industrial forestry taking grip.
Forests here are ancient: holding folk mystery, healing powers and not fully understood microscopic world with fungal networks in soil life.