Palline. The Megadango

The thematic breadth of earthen construction offers countless opportunities to present the material in ways previously unthought of. Case and point: clay, in polished and compressed form, has an almost stone-like texture – an interplay of reflection and extraordinary color contrast. Such a surface offers a quality rarely associated with the material itself.

The playful, educational nature of the Japanese dorodango gives both direction and meaning to this sculptural expression.The thoroughly sustainable nature of the sphere is evident in both its mathematical and material composition in this case, and under the harrowing influence of the outside world it is allowed to return to its original state, completing what should be the cycle of form and function.

After a series of tests on a smaller scale, the implementation proceeded with a screed covering a bamboo fibre framework, onto which several layers of clay were then applied intermittently. By rain and hail, the open sphere faced a process of gradual erosion, while the rapid growth of previously planted seedlings took centre stage.

In this way, Palline embodies clay as a multifaceted building material and presents its form of potential in a timeless language.

Links

pro Habitat Austria. Article

Netzwerk Lehm. Article