How can we explore and express values of sustainability through the practice of a craft?

This week we built the brick structure for the forge. Going into this project, I knew that the bricklaying would be relatively tricky work, so I was prepared for any obstacles we might face and knew a lot of tips and tricks to make the work easier. The bricks we were using were almost all from a demolition site near school that my dad and I scavenged from a dumpster. These bricks were most likely produced and laid in the 50’s or 60’s, so they had naturally grown warped over time and some were heavily damaged from the demolition. In addition to these bricks however, we also bought 20 or so new bricks from Home Depot to lay as the first course, so as to lay the structure out square and level with little room for discrepancy. However, these bricks were all ¼” shorter than the repurposed ones, so our initial plan could not be followed. We managed to continue with the same dimensions however by cutting bricks to lengths to fill the empty spaces, rather than using easier-to-follow measurements like a half or quarter brick.

Using these bricks was a unique experience to say the least. Bricklaying in itself requires intense discipline and skill, only one of which I had any resemblance of. It took about an hour to plan out and lay the first layer of bricks. The second, about 30 minutes. The third, about 20. Over time we grew more comfortable with our technique and more efficient with our movements, but the work continued to be seemingly endless. What felt like hours would pass and we had only finished a few courses of bricks. But we continued on, and I began to reflect on what we were doing. It was an interesting thing to be working with reused bricks, to think about repurposing something that is usually just seen as trash. I like to think about the person who laid them before, how much skill and efficiency they must have worked with. It was inspiring, almost, to imagine their hands handling the bricks that I was now using to make a forge. Using these bricks made me appreciate how materials can be repurposed, and how in this project one of our overarching goals is to practice the sustainable use of materials.

I also reflected on the scale and significance of the structure we were building. Total, I would estimate that we used some 125 bricks out of the 200 that we had collected. On a palette of bricks there are about 500 bricks, which can cover about 70 sq ft. Our structure was only 11 courses high, with about 10-15 bricks around the perimeter in a rectangle, making it 20” x 30” and about 25 sq ft. it took us a whole day to lay this many bricks, while it probably would have taken a professional an hour or two. On top of that, this structure is entirely cosmetic. It serves no real purpose. However, the work was not in vain, as I gained what I feel are valuable skills, exercised patience and determination, and gained a connection to a historic material.