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WORKSHOP. DESIGN 5 | FALL 2016This project is based around the idea of craft and focuses on the details just as much as the whole. By analyzing the production of individually crafted wooden oars, I was able to identify the gestures of shaping the layered woods into one finished product. I then constructed a detail joint that is able to hold oars vertically at life scale. The materials were natural red cedar and steel attached entirely via mechanical fasteners. I did not want the design of the detail to distract from the oars themselves but to pull them away from the wall and highlight the dynamic qualities of an oar moving through the water.
Located in Shell Mound, FL (near Cedar Key, FL), the site lays untouched by human construction but is highly populated as a kayaking and boating destination. With the idea of layered ground conditions in mind, the goal was to run against the grain of the landscape and transition through forest, mound, sand, marsh, and water. Programmatically, one approaches through the floating exhibit space that acts as a center for education where people are given information on the history of oar making. As one progresses, they descend to the lower level to be flooded by light; similar to the action of an oar descending into the water. As they approach the water they are welcomed to look into the workshop where oars are being made by a skilled craftsman. Finally they launch from the dock and test the oars themselves. |
