PALLET SEATING

with Kate Zago

Located in the heart of a favourite inner city neighbourhood, the containR site is a pop-up arts and community hub for people of all ages, built from recycled shipping containers painted by local artists. containR is the first Art Park in Calgary and attracts thousands of visitors a year to play, explore, learn and partake in the many programmed arts and culture events. Inspired by the pallet bars I had visited in Melbourne, a friend and I decided to produce flexible seating options through repurposing scavanged pallets. After collecting old, disposed pallets in the laneways of Calgary, we compiled the scavanged materials and created modular stacks of varying heights. Each stack of pallets was moveable so that the layout could be recongifured to function with a particular event or use. Spraypainted plywood was also added to the top of some of the stacks to add visual interest and maintain the urban aesthetic of the larger containR site. Over time, the paint began to wear with the elements, exposing the grain in the plywood. I am interested in further understanding how weather will age various outdoor installations, creating more identity for the work and a deeper expression of the materials.