The Exbury Egg is a collaborative project between artist Stephen Turner, SPUD and PAD studio. After almost 3 years in development, the energy efficient, self-sustaining pod will serve as home and workspace to Stephen in the estuary of the River Beaulieu.
The Exbury Egg was built of reclaimed cedar planks by boat builder Paul Baker and has a two perspex windows, a hammock for sleeping, minimal storage,a sink and a cooker. The power needed for charging items such as a laptop, digital camera and mobile phone will be met by using solar energy.
above: Paul Baker (boatbuilder) stands in front of the first half of the Egg. The keels are clearly visible above Paul's head. These will give the Egg stability in the water and keep it upright at low tide.
The egg being inspected and then lowered into the water for the first time:
Success! It floats.
Designed to withstand the elements, it will be tethered to the shore with a floating versadock pontoon and serve as a place to study the life of the tidal creek and to experience local natural cycles of the environment as it relates to human activity.
During his 12 month journey, Stephen (shown above in his new temporary home) plans to catalogue his own visual and philosophical journey in collections of still and moving image, found objects, drawings and maps.
To quote Stephen, ‘Climate change is already creating new shorelines and habitats. Established salt marsh is being eroded by a combination of rising sea levels and falling landmass and the entire littoral environment is in a state of flux. The implications for wildlife and for the flora as well as for people are challenging. Raising awareness of the past and the unfolding present of a very special location will be the task, whist living in an ethical relationship with nature and treading as lightly as possible upon the land.’
Below is a timelapse video of the egg construction:
The architectural plans:
The beautiful images of the Exbury Egg in this post were photographed by Nigel Rigdon.
Learn more about the Exbury Egg here.
