jacques kaufmann
Vanzy, France
Jacques Kaufmann working on his Teepee sample. 2020.
Jacques Kaufann, The Flight of the Fly, brick. Presented at the Ariana Museum, May 2019.
Jacques Kaufmann, Certitudes / Obsolescence of duration. From 1993 to present, Ariana Museum, 2019, various shapes and sizes
Living in the countryside, I have taken advantage of this special moment to create a large space for growing vegetables in the garden. I recycle everything: old decomposed wood, mulched branches, grass, three-year-old horse droppings... I brew them all together, with my hard earth full of clay. I feel the need to undertake physical activity that makes me feel good, but also does the planet good. The studio will wait a bit. Why fuss when everything stops? All cultural projects, exhibitions, meetings, etc., have been canceled, locally and internationally, one after the other. Or carried over into the fog of time.
Slowing down is a keyword for today and perhaps for tomorrow.
In my mind, a voice sounds like a scratched record: what kind of “next world” would be not only desirable but necessary? It would be a shame if the time ahead looked just like the previous one, in a “business as usual” that many people would like to see happening soon. This virus shows us our interconnections and general interdependence on this planet; humanity has awakened to the feeling of unity, uniqueness and solidarity.
This is a time for tests. I fill and surround a bamboo structure with clay, natural fibers, cow and horse dung. A thin double layer, adding only five per cent of cement to the first mixture, which has great water resistance. Indeed, after two weeks in water, I do a test with a small block, which reveals that it hasn’t eroded at all, making it possible to imagine light and resistant structures for an architecture with a low carbon dioxide footprint, or for unfired ceramic sculptures. Very exciting!
DURING THE LOCKDOWN, JACQUES KAUFMANN HAS BEEN slowing down, relishing canceled deadlines, and testing out ideas for lightweight, water-resistant constructions made of bamboo, clay, paper and animal POOP.
Jacques Kaufmann, Teepee development, 2020. A teepee (18” H) is framed from bamboo, which will be covered in a mix of clay, “chamotte,” (grog), paper, and horse and cow dung.
Application of the mix of clay with horse and cow dung, inside and outside of the bamboo structure. When nearly dry, a second and thin layer is applied on the outside. The second layer mix is the same as the first layer, with 5% of cement added,
After two days of drying, it is time for the “heavy rain test”. The surface is not affected by the water, and doesn’t become “muddy” again.
After the rain, the structure looks brave and hardy enough to be returned to the bamboo forest. I’m looking forward to seeing how the structure will withstand the test of time.