EPHEMERA, lightweight structures of Dutch artist Antoon Versteegde

The purpose of this brief article is to acquaint the highly developed skills and knowledge base of Tensinews readers with related low-tech yet artistic structural techniques directly applicable to long-term cultural sustainability via fulfilling the basic human need for shelter. This article is a brief introduction to a world-wide, loosely knit and growing community involved with bamboo, pole or rope structures which may be sheathed with fabric or other membrane material. We explore this through recent work of visual artist Antoon Versteegde.

• Text contributions by Garrett Connelly, USA

Antoon has mainly sought his artistic freedom outside established institutes and exhibition spaces, in public locations with free access for everyone. He has accomplished large artistic constructions as transient outdoor installations constructed with lightweight materials such as bamboo, flags, rope and rubber bands. Through this process he has gained experience with large-scale interactive projects and developed world-wide relations with other artists, builders and scientists. The techniques developed have proven to be highly successful for realizing huge sculptures in a short time, working with groups of artists and volunteers. His construction techniques are easily passed on to people who want to co-operate spontaneously, the use of rubber bands proved ideal for public installations because interested individuals can become involved without needing protective clothing or gloves.

Rubber bands and cement

Framing is best visualized as if it were standard construction lumber substituted for with bamboo. Binding techniques used in an actual construction does not employ rubber bands, two centimeter wide duct tape works well for a preliminary binding of a prototype or single construction. Three centimeter wide strips of utility muslin soaked with cement and acrylic is then wrapped over the duct tape. Jute bailing twine soaked in cement and acrylic accomplishes the same idea but is not as easy to keep neat. The duct tape preliminary wrap is not needed when a jig is made from a prototype frame and subsequent identical frames are assembled in the jig. Detailed construction processes are explained more fully at the ferrocement.com website.

Although the binding system shown here would not be used in actual construction, Antoon Versteegde has used rubber bands to illustrate that building very large structures with many untrained individuals creates solidarity among the participants and unleashes creative strengths the isolated individuals did not realize they possessed. It is precisely because the public takes on an active role of participation that great energy is is focused and channeled into the particular structural shape that Antoon has planned. His bamboo installations leave a lasting impression among participants as-well-as spectator’s, although his works have mostly been for temporary display and consequently have vanished, memories and photographs remain after the artwork has been taken down. The process underlying Versteegde's art is a prime aspect that transforms transient into a transcendent experience in ways suggestive of enterprise formats which architects and engineers might employ in designs contributing to sustainability.

Interactive projects

Antoon Versteegde has given lectures and workshops for many years; he organizes educational and solidarity projects with artists and amateurs, children, students and professionals. This work has taught him that we all benefit from the insights of others; students, for example, often suggest surprising approaches to structural solutions. Many of the photos illustrate interactive projects with geometric shapes and structures, working with large groups of people who want to co-operate spontaneously suggests opportunities for the entrepreneur or excess labor idled by disaster or poverty.

It is the public aspect of these artistic works which establishes Antoon as a master of art happenings eminently qualified to discuss and help define self-sheltering for billions who are without adequate shelter; he has witnessed and facilitated large spontaneous groups in ways applicable to an enterprise start-up or underutilized labor in a temporary refugee camp.

Self sheltering

Self-sheltering utilizes techniques with sculpturally beautiful and durable light-weight materials, it opens broad intellectual vistas for examination of a sustainable human culture which includes everyone and anyone who learns these techniques and then provides themselves with super low-cost shelter, potable water and sanitation. This concept does not detract or even compete with private enterprise contributions utilizing the same techniques and materials.

Spontaneous public participation in creation of art immerses one in the delightful realization that expression of life is beautiful, joyous and fun. Self-sheltering is direct action to satisfy the primal need for shelter, it opens the soul to freedom from need through joy of personal accomplishment. Those beset by poverty and disaster are occupied full-time with basic needs. Creative spirit is released to the benefit of all when folk art becomes self-sheltering so beautiful it also provides pride of place.

It is in the spirit of quest for the sustainable economics through structural beauty that architects and engineers will hopefully find unique ways to integrate the tensile structural engineering arts with small to large scale production techniques and facilities at the individual, entrepreneurial, and corporate levels. Enhancement of a sustainable economy will require input from many talented architects, builders, and engineers; ferrocement.com is one source for further examination of practical studies of production techniques and material usage similar the work of Antoon Versteegde, who is also among those featured there.

Bamboo, the poor man's timber

Bamboo is a wonder plant, its many uses include erosion control, watershed protection, soil remediation, and environmental greening. It is the fastest growing timber plant on earth with many applications as a wood substitute. Increased awareness of bamboo's immense potential will create livelihood opportunities and contribute to the well-being and quality of life; cultivation and use of bamboo as a timber substitute will reduce the pressure on hardwood forests and shelter the homeless. Very successful bamboo housing has already shown that we are all in a position to take advantage of this remarkable natural resource.

Traditionally used in many countries, colonial powers convinced subjugated peoples bamboo is poor man's timber. Today, bamboo is again much prized. It is a multipurpose plant with secondary economic benefits that do not easily compute in methods utilized by modern economies. Secondary economic benefits of self-sheltering are equally elusive numerically, even so, environmental and social benefits will clearly contribute to a sustainable human culture, especially if engineers and architects discover applications of their advanced techniques using these traditional and low-tech materials.

Bamboo sheltering

Shelter is among the most basic of human needs. Bamboo is so beautifully practical that it was probably used to make shelter the moment people first noticed it. Bamboo shelters are used both for temporary and long-term residence. Shelter is accomplished by sheets of fabric or thatch over a frame of bamboo poles attached to the ground. Temporary shelters may evolve into artistic sculptures which will last many years, even generations. Temporary or permanent bamboo shelters range in size from single person tents to an architecturally beautiful structure large enough for a hospital or school.

Bamboo shelter designs can be inspired by tents, even including the use of a lashed catenary tensile bamboo ridge. Such shelters can be used in humanitarian emergencies, such as war, earthquakes and fire, instead of tents, which are more expensive per unit of floor area, and usually not large enough for normal family living. Bamboo expresses verdant geometric beauty as it grows in nature, Antoon Versteegde uses both artistic vision and appreciation for human interaction to transform wild bamboo into temporary structural art. Many of these structural sculptures have become social events with spontaneous public participation. Public artistic happenings and workshops create a memory of solidarity and creativity in every person involved, the skills developed last a life-time, for fun, moments of reflection and times of real need.

At times, however, these temporary shelters may well become semi-permanent or even permanent homes, especially for displaced people living in refugee camps who can't return to their former home and for whom no replacement homes are available. Earth scientists have uncovered perfectly preserved 250 million year-old cellulose, you need not fear that your works utilizing bamboo and fabric treated with acrylic and cement will not last. Please take occasional moments to think about this brief article, billions of people need it, and their happiness effects us all. Perhaps a Tensinews reader will some day sketch a little shape involving a bamboo frame while talking on the phone, it is possible that such a sketch will evolve into a solution for the housing problem in Haiti or Pakistan; there is great need for contributions from architects and engineers.

Self-sheltering has been suggested for restoring the productivity of billions of people who have been displaced through natural disasters, war and the scramble for industrial scale resources, production and agriculture. The above photos support brief mention made of using the same techniques for larger infrastructure such as schools and hospitals. Imagine an emergency hospital in a very remote location quickly built as Antoon Versteegde has done with these large art installations; frame member binding being the very strong muslin/cement/acrylic wrap as seen on the ferrocement.com website, with a similar membrane for impermeable roof enclosure. Finish work can proceed outside while emergency medical care is delivered inside. This same scenario is available for professional consideration of schools and other public infrastructure, note that the light structure design vector is secure in earthquake zones as it rides over the surging land waves just as a boat rides them at sea.

More info:
www.versteegde.nl
www.self-sheltering.org
www.ferrocement.com