I got to tour the Watts Towers this week in south central Los Angeles. Simon or “Sam” Rodia called the sculpture in his backyard Nuestro Pueblo, or “our town.” Spires of ferro-cement, tile, shells, found objects, broken glass mosaics. Crafted meticulously over the course of 33 years (1921–1954). I’m inspired and in awe of what one man can do. A drop in a the bucket adds up to something big in time and that’s what Simon intended to do – make something BIG. You can’t help but wonder about the man behind the art while wandering the space. It would take months to even observe all of the details etched into the intricate monument. A video calledI Build Tower documents the story of Simon and his work ( preview on IMDB ). I like where he says “You gotta do someting, thata they never got ‘em in the world”.
Since 1993, the quarterly journal The Last Straw has been sharing news and developments from around the world about straw-bale construction and natural building. You can now find selected articles available online! How great is that?
What are you doing October 1 – 4, 2009?
Why not come to the Water Woman Festival in Joshua Tree, California… The Water Woman Festival is an interactive ART and Ecological Experience featuring Eco-Artists, Green-Architects, Top Natural Builders, Permaculture Designers, Inspirational Eco-Leaders, Soulful Musicians and Sustainable Lifestyle Visionaries. Water Woman Festival »
It’s been super fun to watch the process of Ziggy and friends building his cob house, dubbed Gobcobatron, over the last year or so. It’s a new installation on the land of Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage, a ecological and socially minded intentional community in northeastern Missouri. Ziggy has been busy working on a spiral designed cob house with a reciprocating living roof, a rocket stove, earthen floors and interior finishes. Now it seems that he’s ready to move in!
I’m gracious to Ziggy for documenting the process as he works step by step through building a cob house. Sharing insights and taking the time to document his experience, which is no small feat in it’s self. Congratulations!
Explore the world of natural building and meet some of its pioneers who are creating beautiful and inexpensive houses out of earth and straw, houses that you can make, too. This is a way of building that can transform how you see the earth and yourself.
The Water Woman Festival is an interactive ART and Ecological Experience featuring Eco-Artists, Green-Architects, Top Natural Builders, Permaculture Designers, Inspirational Eco-Leaders, Soulful Musicians and Sustainable Lifestyle Visionaries.