From the 1st - 30st April I spent one month in North-West Bali participating in the Bricking It: An Urgent Situation residency curated by Praksis Oslo. 

In their words:

Traditional Indonesian brick is requires no mortar: water and friction alone fuse the bricks together, creating structures that demonstrate remarkable flexibility and resilience. Because of this, many of Indonesia’s historic brick structures – the Wringin Lawang gate, the Pari Temple, and others – have withstood earthquakes for more than six centuries. In contrast, newer Indonesian buildings made from modern, Western-style brick and mortar have proved catastrophically less resistant to seismic disturbance.

Residency 26, Bricking It: An Urgent Situation 2024 will draw on Indonesian vernacular knowledge to explore the technology, history, aesthetics and potentials of traditional brick as a sustainable medium. It will take place at Samong Haven, a culture and learning centre under development in Sumberkima, north-west Bali. Residency participants will spend a month developing hands-on skills, building background knowledge and testing new concepts using traditional Indonesian brick, and applications are welcomed from any maker or researcher with related art, design, craft or industry knowledge and experience. Specialist input into the residency comes from Indonesian architect Andy Rahman and senior researchers Professor Totok Noerwasito and Dr. I Nyoman Gede Maha Putra, who will make visits to conduct soil testing, lead brickmaking workshops and supervise an actual, small-scale, construction project. 

Co-ordinating the residency are An Urgent Situation project initiators PRAKSIS and Oslo-based architect Don Lawrence. This is the fourth episode within the overarching An Urgent Situation residency series, a long-term PRAKSIS project focusing on learning from local Indonesian vernacular technology, design, society and culture to address the impact of tourism on people and the environment. 

I am currently working on a published essay reflecting on this residency. 

In the meantime have a look at my Instagram to see more of what we got up to.