Decorative heritage woodwork details with peeling mint green paint

Artist: Sheryl Boyle

This tile is a weathered piece of decorative wood moulding that Associate Professor Sheryl Boyle found in the basement of her 1895 home in the Byward Market. The material weathering has revealed details of how it was crafted. The moulding is comprised of thin pressed laminate, a backing of poplar wood, and a specialty wood bead strip. This tile aims to tell a story of craft through the lens of un-making. As time goes on, some crafts are modernized, while others are forgotten or difficult to retrace. It reminds us that we still have much to learn from the past and that these things can be learned in reverse.

The Azrieli School of Architecture & Urbanism’s conservation program plays a critical role in examining existing structures to learn about them. The practice of recovering forgotten knowledge can be shared with other streams of architecture.