STAGE SHOW

Erin Besler turns the American tradition of barn raising into an inclusive project that challenges conventional notions of architecture

- PHOTOGRAPHY: LOGAN JACKSON WRITER: HANNAH SILVER

A symbol of a classic American way of life, the barn is rich in associations of self-sufficiency and community spirit. Now, its romanticised form has been given a contemporary rethink in a project driven by Erin Besler, co-founder of design studio Besler & Sons, which is redrawing architectural parameters via software, exhibition design, buildings and objects.

Working with arts centre Art Omi in Columbia County in Ghent, New York, Besler’s project, ‘Staging Area’, will centre around the creation of a barn frame, rather than a functional barn, through a collaborative process involving the wider neighbourhood, drawing on the tradition of barn raising, where a community comes together in a process of shared labour. Most barns in America don't require architects for the build, responding directly to the environment and agricultural requirements.