Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design, Fayetteville, AR

Artist Statement

We use woven sixteenth-inch thick wood veneer to create a Sukkah structure around ten feet and diameter and thirteen feet high. The weave and the circular form unite the individual pieces, making them strong and stable. After the weave and the erection of the proposed Sukkah, we propose wetting the structure to provide further stability. Initial research shows the structure strengthening in the rigidity of each element, as well as nominal shrinkage of the strips which tightens the joints of the weave. Our structure uses a minimal amount of material to create a space and the self supporting form creates a shaded meeting place. The dried veneer appears perhaps as husks after harvest.

This thin material will glow with the light of the day. Gaps in the weave will create patterns of light inside the Sukkah, both on the structure and the ground it covers. The thinness of the material and the dots of light from gaps in the weave will show the changing light of the day, and the passage of daylight. A hole at the top of the Sukkah gives a view to the sky; and strands of wood veneer left free at the top of the structure may move in the breeze like the branches of treetops. We hope these simple gestures will create a quiet place for community and reflection, and hope the dried wood reminds people of the harvest and cycle and circle of life and rebirth.