One day a Gaspésian covered bridge decided to go for a walk. Elsie uprooted herself from the riverbanks and wandered to Les Jardins de Métis. She settled there for a while, tending to the land as a faithful steward to her new home. Elsie’s favorite garden featured a path through a marsh and patch of meadow sage. Elsie’s modest structure lent travelers reprieve from the sun and views of her favorite indigenous varieties.

/ Diagrams

Her lattice-truss allowed air and light to enter and adventurous squaw vines to grow. To those approaching on axis, Elsie appeared opaque and iridescent red, like a vibrant descendent of her bridge- ancestors. From the garden, however, she dematerialized into a white trellis. Like the foliage around her, Elsie’s color magically changed for passing visitors. Bridging past and present, wilderness and garden, visitors native and new—Elsie welcomed sojourners to share in the magic of the Gardens.

/ Image

Le Pont Errant marks the continuation of a dialogue on animacy in construction language. Elsie's form steps out of typological and historical lineage of construction as a means of critiquing the oft static and icon based references to past images, shapes in an oversimplication of identity and narrative.

/  Project Team  

Jonathan A. Scelsa + Jennifer Birkeland

/  Collaborators  

David T. Turturo

/  Project Info

/ Project Type - Garden
/ Location - Les Jardins de Métis
/ Status - Design Competition, Finalist
/ Project Date - 2020