The mystical Forest of Arden Annex enchants Stetson University in Florida

Built upon a bed of green grass at the Stetson University campus in DeLand, Florida is the Forest of Arden Annex. Design practice Art of Space from Springfield, Missouri built the temporary structure for a "space as event" project organized by the Hand Art Center and the Institute of Water and Environmental Resilience at Stetson University.

Constructed in six days late last month, the Annex's name and design was inspired by its campus location, charmingly named the Forest of Arden after William Shakespeare's "As You Like It". At night, the Annex remains enticing as colorful LED lights emit an inviting glow within each of the three structures.

Read on for more details.

Project description:

"A 'space as event' project for the Hand Art Center in collaboration with the Institute of Water and Environmental Resilience at Stetson University, Deland, FL, the Forest of Arden Annex is conceived as both a spatial manifestation of the collaborative effort required for its construction, and as an appropriation of a residual space within the fabric of the Stetson University campus.  Led by Gerard Nadeau--founder of Art of Space and assistant professor at the Hammons School of Architecture, Drury University--members of the general public, the Stetson University community, and the museum staff constructed the Annex in six days during the last week of June, 2015."

'The Forest of Arden Annex is a temporary, participatory public art project woven from over 10,000 linear feet of custom milled wood slats, held together by friction and the elastic springback of the material.  Except for bolt connections to stakes driven into the ground, no fasteners or adhesives were used to create the woven, structural surface.  Constrained by a ground plan of three six-foot diameter circles, set fifteen feet apart,  the emergent form and space occurred as the result of combined method, material properties, and gravity. Developed to encourage space-making by the broadest possible range of volunteers, the weaving technique utilized 4’x 1 ½”x 3/16” strips of hemlock/fir."

"The campus location, named the 'Forest of Arden' after the woodland setting of William Shakespeare’s pastoral comedy 'As You Like It,' inspired the decision to create an organic parasol for the project.  In a further nod to the play, and as an additional layer of meaning, the public was invited to inscribe wood slats with answers to the question 'What is nature?' before being woven into the structure."

Project credits:
Gerard Nadeau - Conceptual Design, millwork, team facilitator, project management
Tonya Curran - Director, Hand Art Center
Dr. Wendy Anderson, Interim Director, Institute of Water and Environmental Resilience.
Special thanks to the Hand Art Center staff and community volunteers!

More photos in the thumbnails below.