03-04-2017

Cloud House by Matthew Mazzotta

USA,

Bar, Landscape,

Design,

Installations, Landscaping,

The Cloud House by American artist Matthew Mazzotta combines art and technology in the rather surreal backdrop of a small, gabled A-frame shelter with a cloud sitting above the roof that rains when you sit on one of the white rocking chairs inside.



  1. Blog
  2. Sustainable Architecture
  3. Cloud House by Matthew Mazzotta

Cloud House by Matthew Mazzotta The Cloud House by American artist Matthew Mazzotta combines art and technology in the rather surreal backdrop of a small, gabled A-frame shelter with a cloud sitting above the roof that rains when you sit on one of the white rocking chairs inside. Real, hands-on experience of the water-cycle.


Farmers Park in Springfield, Missouri is a mixed-use development for sustainable businesses in the Ozarks region. Its Farmers Market, a venue for organic and locally grown food also attracts the local community, and it is the location of an installation that immediately grabs the attention of visitors: the CLOUD HOUSE by artist Matthew Mazzotta. 
Mazzotta is known for his many public artworks in the USA, Europe and Asia, and exhibits in leading museums; here he crafted the CLOUD HOUSE during a 2-month residency at Farmers Park. A project whose powerful visual narrative attracts visitors. The shelter is like a traditional A-frame house and is made from tin and wood reclaimed from a local Amish farm, the two white rocking chairs, plus a cloud-like structure sitting above the roof.
The formal simplicity of the shelter references our childhood memories and beckons visitors to come in and sit on a chair and rock as they enjoy the views and listen to the sound of rain on the tin roof. Rainwater is collected and directed to a storage tank underneath the Cloud House when somebody sits one of the rocking chairs, the pump turns on and brings the water up into the 'cloud', then from there it falls onto the tin roof and drips onto the edible plants growing in the windowsills.
As Mazzotta says, this is a simple but effective way of making people think about the water-cycle as the basis of all the food we eat, particularly when water management is becoming essential for our very survival, given the increasingly unpredictable weather. 
Matthew Mazzotta's Cloud House creates a space where you can relax and reflect on the natural processes of food production, a poetic counterpoint to the well-attended market and the broader context of Farmers Park where visitors can experience the water cycle that is essential to life in a visually striking backdrop.

Christiane Bürklein

Progetto: Matthew Mazzotta - http://matthewmazzotta.com/
Luogo: Farmer's Park, Springfield, Missouri USA
Anno: 2015
PROJECT TEAM Matt O’Reilly at Green Circle Projects - Developer | Patricia Lea Watts - Project Manager | Jeff Broekhoven - Artistic Advising | Sujin Lim - Cloud Design | Ben Jennings -Structural Engineer | Sue Evans and Kenny Underwood at Elemoose - Cloud Construction | Omar Galal and John Walker at Rain Reserve -Water System | Aaron Sampson at SamCo Construction LLC - Barn Wood Siding and Tin Roof Steve | Wilson at Wilson Creek Rustic Furniture - ootings/Piers | Richard Thompson at CHR Metals - Steel Framing | Bryan Simmons at A Cut Above - Landscaping Jeff Shelton Outdoor Lawn Service, Gravel | Pam Bachus at Picky Sisters, Rocking Chairs and Table |
Tim Hawley – Photography 

×
×

Stay in touch with the protagonists of architecture, Subscribe to the Floornature Newsletter