Each of the sites is ecologically rich—one is estuarian, one is wetland, one is riparian. The Portals are intended to transform perception of these places by demonstrating their value in terms of ecological holism, nutrient cycling, multi-species sheltering, and habitat biodiversity rather than in terms of extraction and profit. The loose thatch that spirals around each of the Portals sheds rainwater down one side of the pavilion and provides some shelter for humans. On the other side, the thatch collects water and nutrients, thus is very active habitat for other species at all scales.
This is a purposeful subversion of human supremacy in architectural space. The thatch is locally-harvested soft rush (Juncus effuses) and tule (Schoenoplectus acutus). The Portals are intended to choreograph human experience of time as cyclical—in weather, tides, water levels, and planetary movement, and as material decays and accumulates. In this way, the pavilions draw attention to the simultaneous ecological past and future of these lands. The Portals are located on land that is within the traditional homelands of the Coos, Coquille and Upper Umpqua peoples who were forcibly removed from these lands by the United States government.
Today, descendants are citizens of the Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua & Siuslaw Indians, the Coquille Indian Tribe, and the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe. Credits: - Fabrication and installation - Zach Bradby - Fabrication and installation - Molly Winter - Fabrication and installation - Andrew Loia - Fabrication and installation (Lead) - Mike Kwilos - Fabrication and installation - Serena Lim - Construction project management: - Chris White