Caelan

Bristow Ormston House Workspace Social 2017

Caelan Bristow is….

from Canada!

Educated as an architect, previous studies in poliBcs: “InternaBonal RelaBons”

Why architecture?: imagining, making, building, inhabiBng

Then…the meaning of architecture

•  What is its role?
•  What is the responsibility of architecture? The architect?
•  Social engagement…

ExperimentaBon & exploraBon in school : enter the wonderful world of Art

People I’ve worked for
Arrived in Ireland 1999: NYC to rural County Offaly

Epiphany! Healthy building and sustainable living

Solearth Ecological Architecture

•  The Village, Cloughjordan
•  Airfield Dublin
Slowweave Caelan Bristow
SLOWWEAVE for SLOW ARCHITECTURE PROJECT
Exercises

Slowweave
Describe the view from where you are without describing Draw the plan, shpae of the place in one continuous line Record every colour you can see, as desctiptively as possible Sketch the path of an insect or Draw a shadow Draw or describe a shape
buildings. bird or cat or dog (or??) This “slow” project expresses the fresh awareness of our sur-

roundings that can happen when we tune in to our senses. We

notice the elaborate tapestry in the way in which people and

creatures inhabit the space surrounding & within architecture (ie.

What exists as built form and/or as a planned environment), lay-

ered with the effect of rain or shadow on a surface and the sonic
potential of a crevisse, and so on...

1 2 3 4 5 6
Slowweave was inspired by previous projects on the gather-

ing of site experience. George Perec’s classic text “Tentative

walk 20 paces slowely and record what you hear Describe any change in light quality as it moves Draw one or more clouds List all letters visible in order of how many you see Record something you see that corresponds to the word; of sensory information we may experience in a place when we
exclamtions
a)passing open our eyes, ears, nostrils etc. William H. Whyte’s 10-year re-
b)prevent
c)quiet
d)tight Urban Spaces” (1980), a rich and colourful expression of the way
e)warm we use public space, relevant even today. The Slowweave project
f)violent
is also indebted to “Learning to Love you More”, a web-based
g)fragile
participatory art project developed by artists Harrell Fletcher and

Miranda July in which thousands of participants completed and

exchanged some 63 “assignments” on the web site. The struc-

7 8 9 10 11 12 ture of the LTLYM projects gave me ideas for how to encourage

participants to start the observation process with a clear, uninten-

tional mind...

make small rubbings of as many surfaces/textures possible photograph someone you see (ask permission if necessary) Write a very short story about something you see, smell,or Interview someone you see about what they’re doing (keep
tool) hear (less than a page) it short) Participants are invited to complete a series of exercises at their
Building your house chosen site. The exercises are generally space-related, and
An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer-contractor of his plans to
leave the house-building business to live a more leisurely life with his wife and enjoy his require the participant to record their observations in some way
extended family. He would miss the paycheck each week, but he wanted to retire. They
could get by.
The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go & asked if he could build just one more
house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but over time it was easy to see that his
heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. exercises focus on observing people and some deal with the self
It was an unfortunate way to end a dedicated career.
within the space. Some focus on qualities of light and shadow.
handed the front-door key to the carpenter and said, “This is your house... my gift to you.”
The carpenter was shocked!
What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it Some require creative thinking and some will require the observer
all so differently.
So it is with us. We build our lives, a day at a time, often putting less than our best into the to list a series of elements.
building. Then, with a shock, we realize we have to live in the house we have built. If we
could do it over, we would do it much differently.
But, you cannot go back. You are the carpenter, and every day you hammer a nail, place a

13 14 15 16 board,
or erect a wall. Someone once said, “Life is a do-it-yourself project.” Your attitude, and the
choices you make today, help build the “house” you will live in tomorrow.
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Therefore, Build wisely! Observers are asked (if feasible) to return to their chosen site at a

different time of day or if the weather changes. Observations may

be recorded using any additional methods as well as the method
Draw or photograph something you see from a viewpoimt un- List all the plants you see and know / describe those you a) List the surface material in your chosen site Write out a recipe (useful or not) made with things from Describe or draw a network or system underground or List all the rubbish you see according to categories such as
der 3 feet/1 meter don’t know the name of b) Make a audio recording of the sound made by hitting the your site behind, eg. Sewer diagram food & drink, clothing, etc indicated (eg. You can photograph your toes stuck in a crack in
mayerial with your pen addition to writing a description). Any amount of observational
material is welcome.

Slowweave is ongoing and ever-expanding: every observation

leads to further exploration and enrichment of the slow experi-

ence.

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Caelan Bristow copyright 2010

Record all types of human industry evident Copy onto paper several cracks and make a face or Draw or describe a physical gesture you witness Record something at your site that made you stop and think Make up your own exercise & complete it
llandscape out of them the feeling

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Instructions: 4. Complete 10 or more of the exercises listed below. They are in a Each board in drawer represents one location/observer. New
random order so read all before selecting & starting! observers are welcome to participate.

1. Select a public place that is planned & built for public use (such as Contributors & Slowweave Location:
a plaza/town square, a housing development hub, a lane way, a park- Michael Bristow - Kingston, Ontario, CA Denotes sound recording - listen via headphones to
ing lot, a cul-de-sac, a street corner, shopping mall, etc). Angelica Dobson - Market Square, Birr ipod segment
Mike Haslam - Dublin
2. Choose a place to sit or stand. Christopher Roland Mahon - Dublin
Lena Kuppens - Amsterdam
3. Record elements such as Alan Roe - Birr
Caelan Bristow - Limerick & Lough Boora
-Date, time including day of the week Nicholas Ward - University of Limerick
-Name of the place you’ve chosen Guiseppe Torre - University of Limerick
-Your position in the place Keith Winter - Limerick
-Duration of study Louise Allen - Kilkenny Parade
-Weather conditions Aoife Desmond - Dublin
-(Optional) why you chose the site
slow architecture and place
Birr Arts FesBval 2004, 2005, 2006, 2013

Repossession – Eva internaBonal 2012

Recent studies at University of Bath: MSc in Architectural Engineering/
Environmental Design
•  Energy performance of buildings
•  Sustainable construcBon materials & methods
•  Health and buildings
•  Etc….

“Open Ed” Schools project for Open House Limerick (architecture fesBval)
•  4-week process project developing from each individual’s personal
response to their everyday living experience to a large scale collaboraBve
conceptual sculptural construcBon
•  October installaBon at Dance Limerick with “body in space” performance
with children
Thank you