Arco (mmxxii)

2022. Temporary Sculpture. 280ccm x 50cm x 150cm.
Mud, straw, styrofoam, recycled glass bottles, grass, dry leaves, chicken wire, wild fruit cuttings, electronic waste, found metal, found brick, cement.

A Roman arch-bridge is a structure in which tension loads are distributed downward, outward, and inward as compression forces. Each piece exerts forces on its neighbour while also resisting the same forces, creating an architectural balance that does not require mortar, glue, or anchoring connections between pieces. As a structural design, it remains unparalleled in its ability to hold architectural loads, with many arch bridges still in use two thousand years after they were originally built.

Arco (mmxxii) re-creates this design with local materials found on site of a 15th century castle near Umbertide, Italy, using a 0km footprint approach. Each brick is constructed from contrasting materials, with the overall arch combining natural materials (mud brick, straw, leaves, fruit), found construction materials (discarded clay bricks, unused cement, chicken wire, metal), and waste products hand-prepared for recycling (wine bottles, electronic waste).

 

In reflecting on ancient architectural techniques and contemporary consumption practices, attention is drawn to the overlap of opposing facets of monumental ruins: a resource to be reused as raw materials, a trace of lost ingenuity, a reminder of the triumph of impermanence over permanence, an enduring material remain testifying that all present cultures are equally destined to become archeological artifacts. A temporary sculpture whispering: “Memento mori, memento mori”.

Photos by Adam Basanta.