Wu Cameron, Cambridge, MA

Artist Statement

A surface is doubly ruled if it contains straight ruling lines in two directions--i.e. through any given point there are two distinct lines that lie on the surface. There are only three types of these surfaces: the hyperbolic paraboloid (hypar), the hyperboloid of one sheet, and the plane. Well-behaved in projection yet complex in three dimensional space, their characteristics combine visual dynamism with attributes amenable for fabrication and construction.

Two-fold reinterprets the traditional sukkah as a formally expressive shelter. Lawfully governed by a set of geometric rules, three walls and a roof are elegantly fused into a pair of smooth and continuous surfaces. These inflected surfaces exhibit significant double curvature—perhaps representative of the complexities of the contemporary condition—yet they still exhibit orthogonality in the primary projections of plan and elevation, anchored securely to the multi-axis post and beam structure. The two surfaces which imply enclosure manifest a duality suggestive of Talmudic reasoning—discernably ordered yet open to interpretation.

Two-fold is comprised almost exclusively of straight structural members and can be easily constructed with simple stock materials; in this case, poplar planks. Bamboo mats serve as s’chach which are applied to the outer side of the structure for roof material compliance. Like two hands reaching for an embrace, this sukkah extends an invitation to explore, inhabit, and engage with design and Jewish history.