Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada | Type: Competition | Size: N/A | Year: 2014
PUSH/PULL questions the narrative of ‘enclosed shelter’ in favor of a public infrastructure that requires user participation to transform into any number of possibilities with respect to both seating and shelter. Reminiscent of the ‘pin toys’ of our childhood, PUSH/PULL is comprised of hundreds of wooden dowels that cantilever from a central spine, enticing visitors along the River Trail to interact with the warm tactility of the infrastructure – pushing or pulling the dowels to create their own personalized seat or shelter. As such, PUSH/PULL will be in a constant state of flux as users sculpt space on both sides, constantly re-defining what shelter can be as they escape from the cold winter winds.
The interactive nature of PUSH/PULL is heightened further by the curious condition of inverse spaces or forms created on the opposite side of the wall when one is sculpting their own space. This friendly gesture facilitates dialogue between both sides of the shelter, similar to two neighbors talking over a fence.