03/11/2025
20250311 Vignette - Embodied Products
This weekend to make space for an upcoming addition to our house, we cut up a slab where an illegal addition used to sit. Learning from previous demolition jobs, we remembered brute force just makes a mess and gets you tired, so we decided to cut the slab into neat squares to make everything easy. After flipping a couple a couple blocks I started to notice the composition of the slab and thinking of the stories it could tell us.
With visual observation I could identify the concrete pour layers & mix, aggregate size, reinforcement, and the presence of a v***r barrier. It tells of a group who had an idea of what they were doing and cared to follow procedure but not interested enough to be careful or to consider this their craft. The large aggregate seemed to be used as filler to reduce the amount of concrete needed, probably for budget. The wire mesh though present was at varying depths, so its possible chairs weren’t used or they weren't aware of keeping it a proper height. Lastly the v***r barrier was thin and messy and you could see the fill beneath it wasn’t compacted.
Everything we build has the potential to carry with it our knowledge and intentions, but it's not always easy to listen when you can't hear these bodies speaking. This listening and conveyance is what I am practicing.
Photographed: on my shop work table, and sprayed with water to make the roots sit. (I need to find a way to preserve it)
Dimension: W 16” x L 18” x 4.5” D
Materials: 3000 PSI Concrete. #3. #4, #5 Aggregate. 6x6 Weld Wire Mesh,6mil V***r Barrier on PT Wood Stand.
