Now in it’s fourth year the Roots Architecture Workshop at the World Music Festival WOMAD (World Music Art and Dance) in Wiltshire in July has put out a call to creatives – you don’t have to be an architect – to come and build a series of ‘improvisory structures’. You will be joining teams led by the Centre for Alternative Technology and a joint humanitarian architectural group comprised of Architecture Sans Frontiers, Architecture For Humanity-UK ro creTEW.
Founded by Fourth Door and managed on the ground by tangentfield and a posse of architects, carpenters, makers and the inevitable bamboo structure expert, Roots Architecture is a unique take on what the architectural design and build experience is about.
This year the workshops, will be taking place in the run up to the festival with the aim of putting the structures to use during the festival itself. And this part of the event will be augmented this year by a series talks, debate and discussions called Speakeasy. There will also be an atelier showcasing various Roots Architecture networks projects. Finally, the organiser is challenging people to bring inspirational building and making materials with them which will turn into ‘a spontaneous and inspirational exhibition and resource’.
Fourth Door founder, Oliver Lowenstein, says, ‘if you just love your computer so much, that you haven’t seen daylight for months, Roots Architecture will likely blow you away with the sheer extreme novelty of hammering in nails, or sawing away on pieces of timber – looking at the screen may never be the same again.’
The organiser is also arranging daily morning pre-start-up sessions of tai chi – so don’t say we didn’t tell you what you were getting yourself into!
WOMAD takes place 25- 28 July and the RAW pre-build is 19-24 July.
For more info visit www.fourthdoor.co.uk or www.tangentfield.co.uk
Grace Quah
