THE HOUSE PROJECT – GER C. BOUT
From August 28 to September 2, 1993, a project designed by Dutch architect Ger C. Bout will be carried out in Eteläranta, Pori, focusing on the deconstruction and reimagining of a Finnish wooden house. During the project, a small wooden structure will be dismantled, and its parts transported to a designated site, where they will be reassembled without blueprints or prior planning into a sculptural structure. While the materials—such as window frames, doors, and pieces of wall cladding—will retain their association with a house, the resulting structure will no longer function as an architectural, space-defining building.
One of the fundamental aims of architecture is to create spaces for human habitation—environments for human activity. Ger C. Bout is interested in exploring a reverse process: the possibilities of deconstruction, dismantling practical and utilitarian structures, and employing experimental methods in the creation process.
Collaboration within a group is a crucial aspect of the project, emphasizing the significance of human and communal contributions to the design and realization of structures that shape our shared environments. In addition to Ger C. Bout, the working group includes Marius Voogt, Kaisu Koivisto, Jere Kuusinen, and Anna Teponoja, along with Jari-Pekka Vanhala representing the Pori Art Museum. The wooden structure used in the project has been donated by the VR’s Pori depot area.
A work journal documenting the project will be published, featuring an article by Dutch critic Philip Peters, among other content.