Hedge Theatre is a crucial link in the chain of three rambling houses at Fartha, a centre-piece in the trilogy of architectural experiments, a theatrical space grown out of the thickness of the hedgerow. The skyline roof-shapes of Passage House and Stone Vessel make a scenic backdrop glimpsed through the filter of trees.
Encirclement is a first principle of theatre design. The circle brings people into visual contact with each other and closely connects audience to performer. Wavy wall-forms, inspired by the varied growth patterns found in tree rings, widen out to create theatre-box seating areas, making sheltered places for picnics in fine weather. Sinuous lines loosen and tighten the spatial layout, relaxing the rigid geometry of a classical amphitheatre.
Standing stones mark the setting out points of this informal auditorium. Low stone walls generate a gently terraced landscape. A stone-lined cut slices through the earthwork, creating a pathway from open field to sheltered enclosure.
Hedge Theatre is a hidden place, related to ringforts and stone crannógs. Its stony core is like a quarried-out footprint that has been stamped into the ground. Its grassy crust slopes away to disappear into the lay of the land.
Publications:
- RTÉ One, 14.08. 2024, Meeting the makers, and creating an architectural wonder in Cork ↗︎
- house + design, 09 2024, Making through collaborating, Rambling Houses by Joseph Walsh and O'Donnell + Tuomey, Sandra Andrea O’Connell PDF
- Roca Gallery, , Three Rambling Houses, A collaboration between architectural design and the craft of making PDFPDF↗︎