Seamless Architecture: In Defence of Ecocentrism
“We cannot talk about a body without knowing what supports that body, and what its relation to that support — or lack of support — might be. In this way, a body is less an entity than a living set of relations; the body cannot be fully dissociated from the infrastructural and environmental of its living and acting.”
Notes Towards a Performative Theory of Assembly, Judith Butler, 2015
I am at Boisbuchet for my residency. Located in the French countryside, in Lessac, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, the focus of the Domaine is organising design and architecture workshops and residencies for international students, professionals, aspiring designers, and local community — school children and people who live in the region, taking advantage of all 150 hectares of its space. The intent of my residency is to continue my inquiry into the role of cultural institutions from a cultural sustainability perspective and to see how we, as cultural practitioners, can create healthy and inclusive cultural ecosystems at the regional level and in rural areas. Additionally, by taking Boisbuchet as one of the case studies, I aim to see how active engagement with diverse audiences and local communities helps move away from a homogenised cultural landscape. I will also analyse the role of the ecological environment and the sense of place in transcending the confines of “conventional frameworks” typically associated with established cultural organisations and art spheres.[1].
[1] Kagan S., “Prefiguring Sustainability: Response-Ability & Spaces of Possibility”, 2015, 141
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I wake up at 8 am, put on my rubber boots, and start my walk. I observe, I live, I watch, I notice. I speak with and watch the residents as they create: sketching, collecting, peeling, wiping, mushing, and scraping. I work with the archive and interview the team. I document the domain, creating a photo archive of my residency: the apple orchard, the roads, the tropes, the communal spaces, the beehives, the workshop, and the materials storage. Additionally, I work on a photo essay to complement my research. This essay includes a photo archive of materials for a chapter on an ecocentric approach for design, and the daily life of the institution.
As I speak with Guillermo Gil Fernandez, Research Lead at Boisbuchet, he explains how the plan of the domain has not changed much since the 19th century, with the exception of a few independent buildings that complement the architectural park built by invited architects who came over the years to give workshops. Notably, no building has been demolished, and even trees have been replanted at the entrance to the domain to replicate the original plan.
I find myself walking towards Shigeru Ban’s Paper Pavilion, the world-famous architect’s first pavilion in Europe. The grass is tall, and I am struggling. I enjoy making my way to the pavilion and hope that the grass won’t be cut. I enter, it is very hot inside. I see the grass pushing through the paper, finding its way. Nature is taking over. It prompts me to be in nature, outside. How am I, in this environment, to take advantage of everything it has to offer?
My day at the residency starts with a stroll. I am not new to the outdoors, but it feels as if I have to rebuild my relationship with nature. I cannot simply walk and move through the fields or forest as I wish. I require either permission, like a path or a gate, or some sort of support, like a bench or a sculpture, to gather around and guide me through.
On day two, I set myself a goal: to seek out cultural artefacts and build environments that would help activate the domain and navigate through it. I recall my case study with Kruzhok that I conducted in 2022. While the emphasis was on cultural policies in authoritarian countries, the case study with this cultural NGO examined how they created micro-narratives for fostering healthy cultural ecosystems in rural areas. Apart from educational initiatives such as building websites or organising festivals for school children, Kruzhok worked on urban development and carried out several site-specific projects in Russia villages that receive no support from the government. These micro-narratives (e.g., repainting an old boat in Vzvad village or installing a football field in collaboration with Adidas) revitalised cultural life in the villages.
At Boisbuchet, I struggle to find spaces that invite me to spend time outside even though the nature is so magnificent. I find a few exceptions: the Forest Trail “The World of Forests” is a navigation route that is open to the public and takes you across the domain and remote places that were not intuitive to me at first. I seek out the communal spaces and imagine what and where they could be.
