unearthed
competition. evergreen brickworks. TORONTO, ON
Our winning entry for the public art competition Design by Nature aimed to create a functional furniture design made of at least 50% salvaged and recycled materials. Envisioned as both seating and play area, Unearthed aims to instill a sense of discovery and intrigue for the repeat visitor to the Evergreen Brick Works. At the outset of installation, visitors will perceive two simple rammed earth volumes. With volumes at different heights, children and adults are encouraged to sit and interact.
Constructed of the same earth that once fueled the Brick Works, Unearthed will reference its surroundings, in a very elemental way. Like an unfired brick left exposed to the elements, the rammed earth will gradually erode over the course of its installation. While the eroding earth is slowly deposited into the adjacent ‘sand’ box, an internal structure will start to reveal itself. Brightly coloured and familiar in shape, a tractor seat set on steel posts will start to appear at the top of the bench. Day by day, and week by week more seats at different heights will reveal themselves until finally, the painted steel base plate, tractor seats and the sandbox are all that remains.
Competition entry image of the rammed earth bench.
Constructing the formwork for the rammed earth bench in Chimney Court play area.
Setting the painted tractor seats for concrete footing. The recycled tractor seats were painted in graphics that were inspired by the graffiti in the former kiln building where the factory's bricks were fired.
Friends helping construct and tamp the rammed earth bench.
Hand tampers were used to form the layers of clay-composite materials of the bench.
Removing the plywood formwork.
Detail image showing the bench and the residue on the plywood formwork.
Completed bench immediately after the removal of the formwork.
The Evergreen Brickworks is located in a flood zone. The onset of the erosion we had expected was due to a flood which occurred shortly after we made the bench.
A tractor seat stool starts to emerge through the bench after some time.
The bench one year after it was installed. The eroded clay from the bench was redistributed to the adjacent childrens sandbox.