Thatchsquatch
Designed for Winterstations Competition, Toronto
emerymcclure architecture with Kristi Cheramie and Sarah Young
Thatchsquatch harnesses the physical and metaphysical characteristics of warmth. Physically it incorporates layering and thickening to enrobe the lifeguard stand and shield the audience from the ice and winds. The outer layer is thatched with bundles of reeds creating a dense coat; the interior layer is fringed with recyclable plastic grocery bags stitched tightly to form a downy fill. From afar, Thatchsquatch hunkers down to face the wintry bluster. Inside, a diaphanous and dense fringe white like snow but soft like fur nestles the audience and frames the wide expanse of winter. These two layers create a thickness with independent framing systems that attach to each other and clamp around the stand. It looks and acts like a warm coat. When time to dismantle, Thatchsquatch breaks apart as assembled; the interior fringe is taken back to the city for recycling, the thatch burned on the beach in a ceremonial bonfire.