This was my second architectural challenge. I wanted to create a home retreat that floated like an island in a river. It represents the tried and true love that comes from a long partnership, one that has weathered many storms and still yields a nurturing companionship. It is humble and romantic, low tech, surrounded by the babble of the river and the churning of the wheel. It’s dedicated to reading together by a warm fire, to watching the light change, to listening to birds. To the sweet, slow rhythm of two people, safe in each other’s care.

I called it Hedge and Mare Cottage, after two of my favorite characters (Hedgehog in the Fog by Yuri Norstein) It was finished in 2020. My partner at the time helped me film this at Elk Rock Island, with the help of two dear friends. It was made of cardboard mostly, shellacked to withstand the river.