2024
    clay, sand, straw
    60 x 40 x 48 [cm]

    The installation A Few Bricks Short of a Full Load seeks to challenge the capitalist methods of contemporary society, addressing questions related to materiality and the ethics of our consumption through the subject of the brick.
    While prioritizing processes defined as "essential," the project aims to raise awareness of our responsibility regarding our products and to initiate a reflection on the ethics of our societal systems.

    Following an analysis of the history of the brick—encompassing its origins, its journey through various civilizations, and its diverse architectural and symbolic uses—the project focuses on the production of raw earth bricks using locally sourced materials. For this project, a portion of the materials, including the clay and sand forming the base of the brick, was extracted from an wild quarry in Bumpliz, while the straw, which acts as a binding agent solidifying the entire structure, was repurposed from another artistic project to reclaim raw materials.
    The 150 bricks used in the installation were created after field research aimed at identifying suitable materials and determining the optimal recipe for their composition. Their shape was inspired by the properties of the North Brick—a type of brick widely used in Northern Europe since the Gothic period—known for its high modular functionality (its length is twice its width).
    The project highlights the creation process and the acquisition of this ancestral knowledge, which is deeply connected to sensitive, nature-respecting activities that are now increasingly lost in our consumerist habits.

    Born in Mesopotamia around 10,000 years ago and later spread across the world, the brick has become indispensable due to its remarkable efficiency, justifying its continued stability since its inception. Its characteristics—composition, simplicity, efficiency, shape, and modularity—have allowed it to meet our needs and fulfill our aspirations for grandeur. Today, after the massive industrialization boom and technological advancements, the brick takes on an entirely new significance.

    In light of the ecological consequences caused by overproduction and excessive consumption—particularly the extraction and use of rare earth elements (a group of metals with remarkable properties), which are among the most polluting aspects of consumption—the humble nature of the brick prompts reflection on the materials we use in our society.
    Through its primitive composition and numerous practical qualities, the brick is at the center of alternative and eco-responsible material discussions. It embodies a return to an "essential" approach, aligned with its own characteristics, and becomes a committed symbol—anticapitalist and ecological.

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