This week, the residency took a bit of a wild turn—literally. One of our main outings was a visit to the Fairmount Park Organic Recycling Center, where we went in search of interesting wood. While the center itself didn’t offer much, the real find came on the way there: a river lined with washed-up tree trunks and broken branches.
Allen standing on a pile of tree branches, holding a piece of wood and contemplating… (Spoiler: he’s definitely taking it.)
It quickly turned into a scavenger adventure. One particular trunk caught Allen’s attention, and the whole group got involved trying to cut it down to size. It was one of those moments that blended effort, improvisation, and a lot of laughter—reminding us how resourcefulness is part of the process.
making the first cuts into a massive tree root we found by the river.
Allen and I wrestling the tree root onto a cart—team effort in full force.
This week’s unintentional theme became all about scavenging—finding value in overlooked or discarded material, and figuring out how to give it a new story. In addition to what we found outdoors, many of us have been digging through NextFab’s scrap bins and offcut piles. What others tossed aside has become raw material for new ideas, experiments, and unexpected directions.
sawing through another log while Arden watches, slightly puzzled
Allen with his bike, impressively stacked with wood
Not everyone was in the studio this week—Edgar had to return to Mexico for a family matter (we’re thinking of him and wishing his father a smooth recovery), and Nifemi was in New York preparing for her exhibition. Their presence was definitely missed.
building a custom drawer organizer to bring some order to his growing wood pieces
Back in the studio, I’ve been continuing to experiment with turning digital concepts into analog forms. I built two prototypes this week: one for a toggle switch, and another for a flipbook machine. Still early days, but it’s exciting to see these ideas begin to take physical shape.