THE EYE OF HELLO WOOD
Csoromfolde, Hungary
Built for Hello Wood, Carnival, 2019
Design - Build
Photographs by Tamás Bujnovszky and Darab Zsuzsa
Built for the 2019 Hello Wood Summer School and Festival for Architecture, ‘The Eye of Hello Wood’ exists as the centerpiece of the carnival, a thrilling amusement ride, and the all-seeing “eye” of the village. Within the circle that is always spinning there is life; there is death; there is love; there is loss. And what is in between? I and thee. The project stands as a manifesto: an ode to the ground of being inherent in all things which binds us all together—to the co-sentience of people, nature, and the built environment.
Furthermore, in tangent to its theoretical justification, the ‘Eye of Hello Wood’ shines as a feat of engineering in its own right: a big, human-powered, wooden Ferris wheel. All components of the wheel and stilts are made entirely out of wood and revolve around the central axis of a steel tube. There are no mechanical or electrical parts in the design; instead the ride is powered by the physical interaction of people with the architecture. As users are hoisted into the air, they balance out the wheel, creating a smooth and stable excursion for two to four villagers.
The structure exists as a lived existential metaphor for unity/love and a reminder that even though things may seem bleak the world will keep spinning, and sometimes the most we can do is just sit back and enjoy the ride. In this way, the project is meant to denote or convey a sense of belonging within users and to embody the Hello Wood ethos of communal harmony and horizontal organization.
