BIJOU HARDING 2018-19 YEAR 3

The Seven Brothers: Frozen Relations

My building proposal is for an independent theatre, housing different renditions of the famous Finnish novel The Seven Brother by Finland’s national author Alexis Kivi. The theatre will be adaptable to fit the needs of the three typologies of the play; the ballet, stage drama, and spoken word piece.
My site is located in the central urban district of Helsinki therefore I also aim for my theatre to a building of Finish national pride, revitalising their most celebrated piece of literature and a landmark for the city.
I am exploring a fabrication method of casting using frozen fabric/ fabric filled with frozen water as the formwork to create the framework of my building and cast specific elements of the buildings form. I want to explore how I can use frozen water/ice to “fix” a form in a temporarily permanent position, which can then be unfrozen, reworked, and reused. This would allow me to reduce the support and temporary frames needed against the fabric moulds, as the ice gives reinforcement. Alongside the environmental advantages of the fabric and water, which can be reused in each casting series. The fluid nature of fabric enables the moulding of specific forms in the building to be tailored to suit the needs of the Seven Brother’s play. I am also interested in using the freezing of fabric to interact with the weather of the Finish climate and the take advantage of the sites conditions.

Tutors: Thomas Pearce, Greg Storrar