Stav-Kirke [Norwegian Stave Churches]

Abstract

“It is in the details that one can find the singularity that will set one apart from the others.” In most modern buildings, we cram our buildings full of stuff to attempt to generate a meaningful experience within. Posters and artwork cover paint and sheetrock which then cover stud walls and steel frames. Details are created to please an engineer or help a carpenter. Only vaguely to we ever understand what is really holding the building up around us. In Norwegian Stave Churches all of the excess gets stripped away and a history of 800 years is exposed in the wood. There is no paint, no plaster, no false walls or subfloors. Every piece of the building contributes to the function or the structure. There is a deliberate stroke in each detail, a thought in each notch. Each of the 29 remaining stave churches shows us that the essence of building comes in the true design and construction rather than in all of the stuff that we cram inside. This exhibit focuses on breaking apart and learning about the details of stave churches in the hopes that we can rediscover craftsmanship and take pride in our design work again...