Thursday, December 16, 2010

KONBIT SHELTER 2011

happy holidays.
breaking the internet ice again, for friends hard at the good work.

Reposted from SWOON & Upper Playground:

"The Konbit Shelter Project was created with the idea that a group of artists, engineers, architects and builders could pool their individual knowledge, resources and time to make a lasting difference in post-earthquake Haiti. Konbit Shelter is a rebuilding initiative, which uses dome-style structures and the super-adobe technique of earth bag architecture to create sustainable, inexpensive and dependable housing for the people of Haiti. While the structures are extremely resistant to natural disasters, they also have the major benefit of being comprised of 90% earth and requiring no specialized scaffolding and under-structure to build - making it a viable option for the people of Haiti to continue building on their own once they learn the method.

At the center of this project has been NYC-based Swoon, whose intricate wheat-pastes and paper-cutouts have been seen on the walls of countless cities and galleries. While humanitarian architecture and street-based art that Swoon is known for appear to be vastly different mediums, the concepts behind them remain the same to her: "To bring things of beauty to people where they are, where they need it. To turn up where you are not expected to be, and to make everything out of love."

During the summer of 2010, the team behind The Konbit Shelter Project traveled to the village of Bigones, Haiti with the goal of educating and employing the local residents while constructing a community center using this technique. Now, the team will be returning again on December 21st to begin construction on single family homes, and the sale of Swoon's WALKI PRINT will immediately go towards funding the construction of these homes.

RELEVANT LINKS:
The Konbit Shelter Project: http://www.konbitshelter.org
Walki Print: http://shop.upperplayground.com/p/SWOON-WALKI-PRINT-
KONBIT-SHELTER-PROJECT/UP40610PT

Upper Playground Web Store: http://shop.upperplayground.com "

ps. the print is beautiful. and so are the shelters.

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