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No Tech Reader #45: Housing

April 7, 2024 by kris de decker Filed Under: Architecture, Building materials, Buildings, DIY, Housing, Human power, No Tech Readers, Video

Structural issues: the cost of material and the value of labour. [The Architectural Review] “In an alternative future, taxes would protect human labour and punish excessive material use to stop wasteful practices.” (Thanks to David Bourgignon.)

How to Build an Iron Age Village. [YouTube] “In Argüeso (Cantabria) a group of young researchers and artisans recreated in 1999 a Cantabrian town from the Iron Age.” (Thanks to Adriana Parra.)

The Masons of Djenne. [YouTube/National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Inst.] “The film captures a unique and very old building technique using handmade masonry, perfected through multiple generations in Djenne, a small town in the West African country of Mali.”

Rammed Earth Construction: A Circular Solution For Sustainable Building. [Latin American Structural Engineering and Construction Conference 2024] “The low level of skill required for rammed earth buildings paves the way for self-built activities.”

Silbo Gomero: The Dying Language of Whistling

January 13, 2017 by kris de decker Filed Under: Communication, Video

The language of whistles known as Silbo Gomero – or just el silbo (‘the whistle’) – was once heard widely throughout La Gomera, one of the smallest of the seven main Canary Islands off the Atlantic Coast of Africa. Now it is used only by a few remaining shepherds on the steep hills of La Gomera’s countryside.

A singular form of communication used with both people and animals, in 2009 Silbo Gomero was named a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. Angello Faccini’s arrestingly photographed film finds one of Silbo Gomero’s last remaining practitioners reflecting on his fading way of life and its ephemeral language. Picture: Unesco.

African Action Movies

May 10, 2015 by kris de decker Filed Under: Africa, Video

In the Ugandan slum of Wakaliga, a thriving film industry called Wakaliwood has emerged. Mixing elements of Western action flicks and Chinese Kung Fu movies with Ugandan culture, Wakaliwood’s movies have garnered a cult following not just in in Uganda, but all over the world. Vice headed to Wakaliga to spend a day on the set of the next Wakaliwood hit.

Thanks to Juan Nacho.

Japanese Joinery

February 15, 2015 by kris de decker Filed Under: Craftsmanship, Random, Video, Wood, Woodworking

“Japanese carpentry group Kobayashi Kenkou carefully demonstrates the fascinating way in which highly durable buildings are constructed with traditional methods of joining the wood with intricate cuts and interlocking plugs instead of metal nails. The fine planing and perfect fit of each interlocking piece of wood is a testament to the craftsmanship of the carpenters.”