For Love Of Stone
Introduction
Many people, including architects, love stone.
But love is a two-way street.
Are we getting all the architectural value, detail and delight that stone offers?
Many architects, especially in Sydney, specify sandstone as a ‘finish’
This talk dives into craft history to;
Discover broader options for sandstone as a finish, and to
Ask if ‘finishing’ is all that sandstone is good for?
In "For Love of Stone," participants will step into a realm of Traditional Craft Assumption where contemporary design assumptions will be challenged.
Stonemason and masonry designer, Damian Cudmore, beckons us to reimagine modern masonry by asking:
Do traditional artisanship and historical design forms still have a role to play?
Is there untapped potential lying dormant within traditional crafts, methods, and details? and
Is architecture a thing created, or a cultural event?
For Love of Stone prompts us to:
Explore aesthetics and utilities rooted in the foundations of history
Reconsider tradition as a valuable resource and its details as catalysts for innovation, and
Imagine a continuous lineage of architectural thought evolved through millennia of craft practice.
Prepare to embark on a mind voyage where an active heritage intersects with present priorities, and an imagination of how almost forgotten traditions might add impetus to sail us back to the future.
Biology
Damian Cudmore has honed his skills (and his architectural opinion) through years of hands-on experience, engaged in the craft of historical stone restoration.
An eclectic journey spanning the realms of heritage stonemasonry, history, theatre, and philosophical musings leads to For Love Of Stone.
As a stonemason, Damian has contributed to the restoration of iconic landmarks such as St Patrick’s Manly, the Land Titles Office, St Andrew’s George Street, the Masonic Club Castlereagh Street, and the War Memorial in Hyde Park.
However, Damian’s passion extends beyond preservation, as he seeks to redefine the boundaries of traditional craft expression. As the founder of Ye Olde Stone School, he teaches the art of simple cottage handcraft, while promoting the details, materials and methods of 19th-century masonry as realistic options for modern spaces.
Drawing upon an academic background that includes architecture, sociology, philosophy, and drama, Damian weaves stonemasonry and a sensitive understanding of human nature with the dramatic subjectivity of spatial experience.
In For Love of Stone Damian expresses an eclectic nature and grain-crossing conclusions, and invites audiences to explore the intersections of craftsmanship, history, and the human experience of space in a way that is challenging and informative.
At the end of this presentation, attendees will:
Be aware of textures, proportions and details, drawn from architectural tradition.
Be aware of arguments for the use of handcraft on contemporary projects
Be aware of State-of-the-Art development in the use of stone as a structural element
Be aware of formal arrangements of traditional masonry that might serve modern priorities, especially in passive thermal design.
