FINSA FOREST RESIDENCY

A collaborative art / architecture / construction residency in the woods of Galicia, experimenting with wood and building improvisational architecture.

This was an artistic residency program I developed in collaboration with Timber manufacturer Finsa. It took nearly a year to gather support and organise, followed by several weeks of creative making on site in the forest. This residency was an experimental project that showcased what can happen when artists and manufacturers collide. In this case, I was exploring how we can build architecture with improvisation, using wood products to construct temporal installations through the trees.

One of the challenges to trying to make things differently is how you facilitate the research. This artistic residency was an opportunity to continue experimenting. So, from the moment I got on site I was looking for ways to construct installations and develop new ways of working. As you can see in the photos, there was real exploration and creativity collaborating with others on site, moving through the trees constructing and deconstructing temporal architectural objects.

Improvisation, with design and build, allows you to arrive to a site, no matter how remote, with limited tools and materials and you can start making. Constructing objects that you can begin to interact with, for functional or playful uses. Of course, you need knowledge or guidance, but the key is that its accessible; and when done right it doesn’t waste materials or damage its environment.

Thanks to the students from the University of Ferrol’s industrial design course, who brought fun, creativity, and energy, building self-lead projects over several days on site. To Alberte Peiteavil for his photography and Andres’ team behind the video, the time spent with us during the process and for documenting it. To all the Finsa staff who also assisted in the making of the project from marketing through to product specialists, as well as all those who visited throughout the weeks on site. And finally, to my main collaborator at WOW Work.On.Wood by Finsa, Jose Andres Arias Pampin, without whom this would not have been possible.

Let’s make more creative projects that play with imrpovisation, design and building.

Photos displayed on this page were taken by Alberte Peiteavel