A one-day workshop turning the ground under our feet into a wood fired oven to bake pizza in!
The course will introduce the durable building material, ‘cob’ which has been used in traditional cultures across the world since before records began. In the UK alone there are hundreds of cob homes built up to 500 hundred years ago that are still inhabited today. Added to this list are a more recent flush of new houses built as this wonderful material experiences a renaissance at the hands (and feet!) of dedicated craftspeople who appreciate the properties and process of cob building.
During the workshop we will explore the different kinds of cob required to build the oven dome and get our hands and feet dirty mixing up the raw materials. We will build the internal mold, sculpt layers into the dome, carve the doorway and make sure we leave time to understand the foundation structure, roof and finishes.
What will I do and learn?
- Explore a brief history of cob and the nature of the material
- Learn about the different types of cob needed for a cob oven and their properties
- Practice making cob mixes and using our bodies to build with
- Enjoy using mindfulness and awareness to observe and sculpt the material in situ
Key Information
Date – Saturday 29th April 2023 from 9am – 5pm
Location – Troed-yr-Harn Farm, meet at Talgarth Car Park, LD3 0PQ
Our Farm campus is a car free site, and we encourage participants to meet at 9am at Talgarth carpark to walk up to the campus ready to start the course for 10am. This is a moderate uphill walk of 35-40 minutes. If you are unable to do so we will organise lift-shares from the Car Park.
What you need – You should wear suitable, weather-dependent PPE including gloves, and good, sturdy boots. Please bring a water bottle and a packed lunch for a picnic at the farm.