Fringe

Jury Selection Finalist, 2015 Field Constructs Competition, Austin, TX

emerymcclure architecture with Kristi Cheramie and Sarah Young

FRINGE is an exhibit of exposure: exposure of waste, exposure of reclamation, exposure to the elements. It is created with the intent to exhibit both the successes and trials of waste management. On average, an American family uses 1,500 plastic grocery bags a year. Of this amount, almost all ends up in the trash or loose in the environment and they do not break down. Austin is the first city in Texas to attempt to mitigate this waste issue by banning all plastic bags within the city limits. FRINGE serves as a tribute to the city’s efforts and those of The Ecology Action of Texas but also as a signifier of the environmental impact of this issue. Mimicking the field and the plethora of plastic bags that lie beneath, FRINGE rents the ground asunder to expose. From afar, the visitor will see the field rise. As they approach, the ground will open up to them. From inside, they will look back out through the bags at what the waste has become: the field. REVEAL THE FIELD.