I’m continuing to feature an ongoing series of interviews and studio visits with other makers/artisans/crafters. If you would like to introduce yourself and your work to a growing Deep Craft network, I invite you to visit the PARTICIPATE page of this site. Meanwhile, allow me to introduce you to Matt Bua, artist/builder.

DC: What you do?

MB: Construct small outdoor structures (under 12×12 ft) that are designed for the public’s use. Small Museums, Sheds, Roadside attractions.
DC: Was there a childhood experience that you believe influenced you later or led you in a particular direction regarding craft or making?

MB: The first time it rained while I sat inside my Dresser fort, I remained dry. I knew it was a good thing.

DC: What was the biggest obstacle you had to overcome to gain proficiency with a material or set of skills? Did you have a ‘breakthrough’ moment?

MB: The constant act of building has been the jumping of many obstacles along the way. When I switched from temporary installations to Permanent out-door structures and a friend said,
“Matt , you know you can’t use dry wall screws for exterior building”
I didn’t, and I haven’t since.

DC: Do you have any superstitions connected with making?

MB: I get lots of warnings as I build that tell me to slow down…
I try hard to listen to every one of them.

DC: What comes first when you are making – formal constraints, functional parameters, a gesture, etc.?

MB: Simple gestures, one-liner jokes and concepts come first.
Other wise it’s a specific site or material that just says “USE ME”

DC: What attracts you to a certain handmade thing?

MB: That it’s possible, when you disregard the rigid rules and regulations written by the overlords of building.

DC: Do you have a favorite thing?

MB: As we were digging into the side of the hill for the sauna foundation, we uncovered this big rock (around 4×4x5ft) which became the base for the woodstove. Up close it looks like a prehistoric platypus type creature’s skull.

DC: Do you have a favorite tool? Why?

MB: Rope, the trees seem to like it best, very versatile too.

DC: What is the favorite thing you’ve ever made? Why?

MB: Each new structure
“the reward of the thing well done is to have done it”  Ralph Waldo Emerson

DC: When making something where is your concentration- on the present activity or on its desired result, or something else altogether?

MB: It’s nice if it’s all three… open to the possibilities, reacting to the situations and keeping your eye on the prize….hold on

DC: Is there any material, tool or technique that really intrigues you that you’ve never gotten around to learning? What’s interesting to you about this?

MB: Those drawings in the “How to Install a Well” with the two folks holding on to the well drilling tool that you rent. It looks easy, but in Upstate NY’s rocky ground, I doubt it. So I just dig. I’m interested in knowing the source of my drinking water.

DC: Where do you find inspiration? How does this come out in the work?

MB: It’s obvious to me when builders love to build with the materials they choose, All that funk-i-tecture slaps the square houses in the face in a fun loving  way. Free building can be free if you keep your eyes peeled for the piles on the side of the road that says “free”

DC: Where do you see yourself in relation to the current trends towards sustainability, DIY, craft, etc.? How has your relationship to these things changed over time?

MB: They’ve always been there for me, but as things move forward they come into focus. It’s a natural common sense progression. You can either lug a bunch of concrete down a hill or stack some stones up and dig up some clay on the site

DC: Where do you place yourself in relation to a craft tradition or heritage? Could you talk a bit about your primary influences related to craft?

MB: I’ve never thought about this, but sometimes I’ll do something and stand back and say “that’s crafty”
I do appreciate it when the old neighbor sticks his head over the fence and says “ ya know, If I were you I’d really think about….”

DC: What advice would you give to someone just starting out in craft/making?

MB: Do what you love and then there is no questions whether it’s worth it.

To view more of Matt’s work in uptsate New  York, please click here or here.

Tagged: deep craft, funkitecture, matt bua, vernacular architecture