On both sides of the Channel there is a long tradition of building with earth, called 'cob' in England and 'bauge' in France. The environmental advantages of constructing in this way are obvious; so the CobBauge project was set up to take a fresh look at this method, with the aim of creating a new cob formula that would allow a pure cob building to pass modern day building regulations without the addition of other materials.
This Creative Associate project began when investigative artist Simon Ryder approached the Cobbauge team at the University of Plymouth, led by Professor Steve Goodhew, intrigued by the combination of low-tech material and high-tech science being employed to re-evaluate cob use. Simon's practice focuses on the interaction between technology and understanding, previously utilising radioactive isotopes, LIDAR scanning, thermal photography, ultrasound and virtual reality in his work. As 'Just Add Water' progressed, Simon's focus veered from the purely technical (infra-red photography used to assess the insulating properties of cob) towards the labile thinking that the project embodies – away from a passive inert relationship with materials to an active engagement with the living nature of earth and what that means for someone inhabiting a cob building.