INSTALLATION BY MACDONALD + SCHUMANN DRAWS PARALLELS BETWEEN THE USE OF WASTE IN COOKING AND CONSTRUCTION

Assistant Professors of Architecture Katie MacDonald and Kyle Schumann, named 22-23 University Design Research Fellows, recently exhibited Sylvan Scrapple as part of a national team selected to participate in the fourth cycle of Exhibit Columbus named 'Public by Design.' 

Their installation draws parallels between the use of waste in cooking and construction, creating a wooded oasis for dining and exchange. On view now (August 26 – November 26, 2023), Exhibit Columbus features a group of artists, architects, and landscape architects who value collaborative co-creation to create meaningful and active public spaces.

Image

Sylvan Scrapple uses non-linear wood unfit for traditional lumber to construct curving panels and stacks boards cut on a purpose-built robotic sawmill into snaking walls. The process makes use of the natural curvature of the wood to create thin structural surfaces. The installation also incorporates bricks salvaged from the burned downtown Columbus Irwin Block, ravaged by fire in 2022, and the renovated First Christian Church tower, built in 1942 by architect Eliel Saarinen. The bricks are collected in metal gabion cages that double as pieces of urban furniture — walls, dining table, coffee table, and stairs. 

Image

The installation centers around a 15' dining table formed from construction waste: wood, bricks and scraps. Inspiring the project's name and its concept, the table is bound with bioresin, closely resembling congealed scrapple, also known by the Pennsylvania Dutch name Pannhaas, a dish made from scraps of pork meat, usually trimming, combined with cornmeal and spices. The dish is representative of making use of what is available, what is left over and what is not used or sold elsewhere, in order to avoid waste. The installation's central table is the venue for Table Scraps, an exhibition combining recipes with place settings, all sourced from the public.

Sylvan Scrapple was designed, developed and fabricated by MacDonald and Schumann and their research assistants: Shiza Chaudhary (MArch '25), Ammon Embleton (MArch '24), Isaac Goodin (MArch '25), Emily Ploppert (MArch '24), and Margaret Saunders (MArch '25).

Image

On display through late November 2023, Sylvan Scrapple is located by the Columbus area visitors center. The full exhibition map and field guide can be found at the Exhibit Columbus website.

“This exhibition shows how working together in the public realm with art and architecture allows us to achieve a purpose much greater than we can do alone,” said Richard McCoy the Executive Director of Landmark Columbus Foundation. “Our Curatorial Team has taken a unique approach to get here, one that combines deep connections within our community with international expertise to shepherd this exhibition into existence."

Exhibit Columbus is a program of Landmark Columbus Foundation and an exploration of community, architecture, art, and design that activates the modern legacy of Columbus, Indiana. It creates a cycle of programming that uses this context to convene conversations around innovative ideas and commissions site-responsive installations in a free, public exhibition.

22-23 Exhibit Columbus Curatorial Partners

Paola Aguirre, Urban Designer at BORDERLESS; Chris Merritt, Landscape Architect at Merritt Chase; Lauren M. Pacheco, Civic and Cultural Artist at Steel Studio Foundation; Bryony Roberts, Designer, Writer, Educator at Bryony Roberts Studio; Raymund Ryan, Curator at Large at The Heinz Architectural Center at Carnegie Museum of Art; and Holly Warren, Assistant Director for the Arts at City of Bloomington.

The Curatorial Partners worked closely with the Directors of four key downtown Columbus organizations as a way to focus on social infrastructure in the heart of the community: Jason Hatton, Executive Director, Bartholomew County Public Library; Dave Hayward, City Engineer and Executive Director of Public Works, City of Columbus; Mark Jones, Director, Parks and Recreation Department, City of Columbus; Dan Mustard, Executive Director, Mill Race Center