Gardening Sukkah     2000

For seven days Gardening Sukkah shelters the family as they gather for Sukkot meals. For the remaining 358 days it functions as an outbuilding in the garden.
The placement of Gardening Sukkah  in the landscape, the objects it contains and the action of opening the roof and positioning the furniture becomes part of the holiday celebration. The act of transforming Gardening Sukkah  offers the family a yearly ritual that enriches our traditions.
Gardening Sukkah unites the Jewish harvest celebration and the activity of gardening. The floor joists extend from the shed allowing the building to be transported like a wheelbarrow, while the windows of the dining room permit the movers to see through the building. Kitchen utensils and gardening tools are stored side by side, drawing connections between the functional and sculptural forms of each tool; a pitchfork to loosen the soil that grows the food, a fork to eat the food during the celebration of it’s harvest. Gutters collect the rainwater that falls on the roof for use in the garden, and according to tradition, to add to the Sukkot dinner soup. According to ritual the roof of the Sukkah is decorated with tree branches and herbs gathered from the family garden.