Foundation Ritual, a ‘Health and Safety’ certification inspection. Performative action, Juergen Faulstich, Self-Builder, Cork, 2019.
As part of our enquiry the IoD devised a ‘Foundation Ritual’ for a building project with a self-builder based in Cork city who was building a 25 meter square timber dwelling on his property.
The foundation ritual was adapted from pan European and Asian ancient practices used in traditional architecture to invoke protection from the deities on a building project.
These rituals can include careful selection and purification of a site, water divining for a well, the laying of a the foundation stone, front door orientation etc.
The Dwelling Agents performed the action under the guise of a ‘Health and Safety’ certification inspection, in collaboration with the self-builder and included beating the boundaries of the site with branches of the birch tree, salting the boundaries of the house, clearing e-smog, etc.