Nicholas Bucci

FINALIST

‘Formwork Tartan’

Just as the weaver threads weft between warp, so too does the concrete formworker precisely compose timber in verticals and horizontals. The tapestry restores the presence of formwork to Site 1: the Basement Gallery's concrete wall, revealing the architecture's construction in woven form and celebrating the invisible acts of making that underpin all works of art and architecture.

In its systematic repetition formwork becomes an oversized tartan of warm timber bands against a dark formply backdrop. Upon closer inspection, however, each regular grid is punctuated with the imperfections and asymmetries of the handmade. The grime of construction presents a subtle texture, while variation in timber grains create a palette of tones. The irregular rotation of washer plates reveals the human hand as maker. Shadows create the illusion of relief, bringing three-dimensional depth to the two-dimensional.

In the gallery, two mundane objects - the tradesman's esky and the weaver's loom bench – complement the tapestry as informal seating from which craftsmanship is admired, and craftsmen/craftswomen are remembered. In the act of participation, visitors inhabit an ambiguous vignette of a quiet moment in the making process.

It is proposed that the proportions of the tapestry (4.8 x 3.6 m) take on the proportions of the formwork left imprinted in the concrete walls. Bolt holes at 0.6m centres define the rhythm of the grid and are woven at a 1:1 scale, perfectly aligning with the wall itself.

Nicholas Bucci is an architectural graduate living and working in Sydney, Australia. He graduated from The University of Sydney, with a Master of Architecture, in 2021. Nicholas maintains a strong interest in research and has contributed to studies into the technical contributions of Australian contractors to the construction of the Sydney Opera House. In 2020, Nicholas joined the team at Andrew Burns Architecture.