Thursday, November 5, 2009

Natural Building Colloquium 2009

Welcome to Camp Latgawa, and the 2009 West Coast Natural Building Colloquium
This is an annual gathering of professional and aspiring Natural Builders, who have come to share their stories, experiments and successes, discuss the state of the world, brainstorm ways to effect the main stream and build a few things while we're here!

Most of my photos are from the building projects that were going on during the week.

Peeling round poles for a new shade structure frame

Decorative hempcrete clings to a pole
This 10 year old plaster job is ready for a fresh coat

Well, we just so happen to have 70 creatives ready to fix that

Austin concentrates on his plaster job
the main gathering area comes together
the back of the bench

great work!

Darrel DeBoer teaches about bamboo construction

Julia tries a notch

fish trusses are fun

hose clamps make a connection without making any holes in the bamboo

Curving bamboo o'er an openfire

fish truss roof frame almost done

Sebastian attaches the posts and sheer bracing

good thing we had plenty of bales around

Chris and Jen from Ontario teach about Pre-fab Strawbale

Plaster is applied horizontally and saves lots of time.

Compressing the bales into the form

Big leaf maple prints in the plaster

Bob Theis leads an entry sequence revision. A new gabion retaining wall and curve is added the the entrance so that cars will park instead of drive into the camp. Perhaps the most important project we did this week.

Also, let's build a Rumford Fireplace down by the creek. With Ianto Evans here, how could we refuse?

a teepee frame in the meadow

a tiny little cottage, kids built this one a few years ago

i get an aerial silk lesson from a talented young girl


and there's even time for hikes in creek which surrounds this magical place on three sides

a newborn tree grows out of the moss-covered rock

mushrooms fruit from beneath fallen leaves

Two mushroom hunters accompany me on the hike

Art Ludwig leaves a cairn
Hope to see you all again next year!

Earthdance Bamboo

Welcome to the Earthdance Music Festival!
We arrive with a truck load of bamboo and trailer full of fabric and natural fixins
the site is a natural cove formed by winter eddies,
when the rains rush through

We enhance the natural spiral form with bamboo poles splayed outward. Then we tie the poles to the center point (a beautiful gnarly tree) with manila cables


Hanumon is happy

Quinn and I get taller, a trick i learned back in junior high school

design session

building the portal to the spiral zone

Christopher does some innovative joinery

Ethan came along to this one, and fits right in with the crew
the main gate goes up



I do a fancy lash with crystals included (wired in first)

flower shaped shading connects the guy wires

playing with the fabric first!





the elder's throne
Quinn weaves a web behind the throne

testing lighting for the night


an earth mandala, created over the course of the festival, with public collaboration, fills the central space

shading effects
the elder's throne in action