Straw is a familiar material, in the sense that we all had the opportunity to play in the middle of a few straw bales. It refers automatically to childhood and brings out memories of relaxation in the countryside. The contact with this material plunges the visitor into the imagination and opens up playful perspectives. The idea is to put in tension the emotional value that straw has in the collective imagination with its worst enemy: fire, in order to provoke emotion.
The installation resumes the archetype of a primitive habitat and is presented in the form of a straw hut. It is composed of a continuous vertical wall which winds to define an interior space of reduced dimensions. The equipment of the bales is reduced to its simplest form; Stacking. The curved part of the wall has interstices between each bundle through which the smoke escapes. It is also by this means that light enters inside, in the form of bundles that animate this restricted space. The center of the hut where the fireplace is normally located is occupied by a smoke machine which simulates the ignition of the device. Visible from the outside, the smoke that escapes from the straw causes fear at first. In view of the stable character of the installation it is the doubt and the confusion that seizes the visitor. Immersed in a smoky atmosphere, the interior space offers a loss of landmarks and a stimulating sensory experience.
FESTIVAL DES ARCHITECTURES VIVES
Architecture installation competition Credits : Benjamin Nicaud & Victor Trosset & Nicolas Pabion Montpellier, France
