This small, hand-made space was conceived as a Deployable Smocked Porch. Deployable because it is small enough to be moved once it is made; Smocked, due to the embroidery technique utilized to pleat and sew the layers of insect screening together; and a Porch, referring to the archetypal space that is created – both inside and outside. A simple wooden frame defines the small space and supports two porch swings.The smocked screening creates curtains that can be opened and closed to allow access, as well as provide shade and enclosure.
A rectangular opening in the roof allows a defined shaft of daylight to enter the space. This opening is echoed in the small turf area cut into the floor.The project was designed and constructed adjacent to the courthouse square in Winterset, Iowa as a pro bono effort to support The Iowa Preservation Alliance. The wood was salvaged from a demolished home, and the labor to sew, fabricate, and construct the space were provided by the design team. As a result, the budget for the project was $900 (screen material, fasteners, and cross-bracing).
