Lath and Thatch

(2023)

3 x 6 x .5 ft

Lath, Wall plaster, Artists Hair, Construction lumber

A disembodied section of a plaster lath wall stands in place. One side uncompleted left covered with finger marks and some small holes gazing through the lath. The other reveals a bulgy layered interior of plaster seeping through the lath. Inklings of short hair can be found within the ripples in the lath. After wanting to create wall-like structures that coexist with other building materials that find themselves living outside of their usual plane and usage, I came across old building techniques found in homes from an era before drywall paneling. I found myself most compelled by the materials in use from the thick groggy plaster and the inclusion of horse hair as a binder to the lath because of their bodily nature. They inherently are pudgy visceral elements within the structure of the home. Lath and Thatch is a material construct that aims to display the bodily amorphous qualities that are exhibited in traditional Lath walls found in homes built generally before 1940 but in some areas lath was common to find until the mid 50’s. Instead of the traditional use of horse hair as a binding agent in the first ground layer, I used my own hair within the plaster to tie back to the body with a more present personal connection.