The Rammed Earth Project in Seto “Concave and Convex”

Ghana-based Hive Earth is a studio blending art, design, and eco-conscious construction. Its sustainable spaces and objects created using earthen materials reveal the natural beauty of earth by making the most of its diverse textures, tones, and tactile qualities, mainly by utilizing the rammed earth technique that is employed to create walls and foundations by compacting earth. Through workshops and collaborations, Hive Earth also empowers communities to engage with natural materials, fostering a deeper appreciation for sustainable design and art as a way of life.
The Learning Team at Aichi Triennale 2025 is conducting The Rammed Earth Project in Seto “Convex and Concave” in collaboration with Hive Earth. Exhibits with themes relating to earth and rammed earth are installed in two locations at the Aichi Prefectural Ceramic Museum, with Hive Earth mainly handling technical support and the Learning Team in charge of design and production. The “convex” work in the Ceramic Craft Studio’s courtyard is the stand seating made of rammed earth created for the purpose of viewing the daily activities of the studio from the backyard. “Convex and Concave” are two sides of the same coin, with the “concave” work in front of the “Design Aichi” Gallery being the actual hole that was dug in order to obtain the dirt for creating the convex work. Part of the convex work incorporates rammed earth blocks made by boys at the Seto Juvenile Training School. When the triennial is over, the convex work will be broken up and used to refill the concave work.
This project allows us to reconsider how human activity relates to the environment through a primitive series of actions involving digging up dirt, moving and compacting it, and then breaking it up and using it to refill the place it originally came from.