Traditional Use

Three traditional uses of frame and skin constructions shall be introduced here: the currachs, yurts and planes.

In the 19th and 20th centuries, the distribution of currachs along the Atlantic seaboard of Ireland stretches from the north coast of Donegal down to the Dingle peninsular in the far southwest. The regional differences between the boats are astonishing, ranging from the 8’ archaic and simply built currachs of the Bunbeg area to the sophisticated 25’ náomhóga (very similar to the Kilkee currach in the exhibition) of the Blasket Islands in Co. Kerry which are able to hold 2-3 tons of fish. These differences reflect the adaptation to their particular environment, the needs of the users and availability of material. The keel-less and light currach, fragile but highly seaworthy, is hence a beautiful symbol for the challenges presented by the overpowering ocean, with its ability to float like a seagull on rough and treacherous Atlantic seas. For centuries, it has been the economic, social and cultural centre point of the isolated communities of the far west. With great ingenuity, currachs were constructed from the cheapest materials (driftwood, flour bags, withies and tar pinched from the council…) and with simple techniques, allowing their builders to sustain a living from them within a few days. Owing to this low-key approach, currachs were never given names! Currachs are versatile objects, being used for long line and net fishing, transport of goods and people, or simply for leisure or the occasional cattle raid. Turned upside down they can be used as a shelter, a concept that inspired the Bothán na gCurach.

The Russian word yurt or yurta describes the round felt covered tents traditionally used by different nomadic groups ranging from Mongolia to the Middle East. Both practical and beautiful, they are sublime examples of a structure that feels permanent while leaving little more than a few scratches on the surface of the earth. The circular shape and the domed roof maximises useful space and simultaneously forms a framework that is remarkably resistant to extreme weather conditions .

Key to the design is the ease with which each yurt can be dismantled, packed up and reassembled. Traditionally carried out by the women of a family group, a 7 metre (diameter) yurt with felt covers, storage chests, bedding, kitchen utensils etc. could be packed up and ready to move on in a matter of hours. While the felt covers and rugs would almost always be made by the women, the yurt frames would be made by specialist carpenters living in the villages of the region from small diameter coppiced or pollarded willow or poplar. New frames would be bartered for horses or sheep and would form part of a girls dowry when she married. The quantity of wood in the yurt frame would reflect your position within the group; even today the President’s yurt in the Kyrgyz Republic has trellis walls so dense your fist cannot pass through the gaps. Likewise with the covers, the whiter the felt the higher your social position within the group.

There are many regional variations in yurt design but the most obvious difference lies between the Mongolian ger with its straight roof poles, heavy, joined overhead wheel and flatter overall profile and the Central Asian style yurt which has steam bent roof poles ,a steam bent wheel and a steeper domed profile. The scale model of a 24ft yurt in the exhibition is a combination of both styles: a Turkmen style wheel with a Mongolian style frame.

Although 38% of Mongolians still live in gers at least for part of the year the nomadic way of life across Asia is in decline and the number of yurt encampments that populate the summer pastures diminishes year by year. Ironically, in Central Asia yurts are more likely to be seen as roadside restaurants on the highways or in city centres than they are in the mountain pastures. Since the pioneering work of Hal Wynn Jones who introduced the yurt to the UK, interest in yurts over here has grown rapidly. With a few modifications to suit our climate, yurts have shown themselves to be very versatile, uniquely beautiful temporary shelters with a wide range of potential uses which have included well equipped dwellings for year round or seasonal use, exhibition spaces, retreats, studios, holiday homes, outdoor classrooms, story telling venues, craft workshops, restaurants, wedding and party venues etc. etc. While it is true that only a relatively small group of committed yurt dwellers have forsaken the four walls and corridors of modern houses, spending any time in a yurt places you a little closer to the earth and helps regenerate the part of us that is regularly smothered by the whirlygig of our modern world. (This section on yurts was written by Tim Hutton, St. Breward,2004)

Pioneered by the Wright brothers, the lightness of the frame and skin construction lent itself to the quest for conquering the sky. Complex structures of fuselage, wings, cabin and landing gear could be achieved without using heavy and energy-consuming designs. Observed in the bone, skin and feather structure of birds, even Leonardo da Vinci considered similar methods for his ideas of producing a flying apparatus. Wings of many early planes consisted of a rib-frame covered with taut canvas and attached to a girder-like covered fuselage. This method proved successful for more than half a century of aviation. The most splendid and renowned example is possibly the Supermarine Spitfire, built to a design by Reginald Mitchell, which combined an alloy monocoque fusalege with single spar wings. Propelled by a powerful 12 cylinder Rolls-Royce Merlin engine, more than 20,000 of these fast, strong and agile aircraft were built between 1936 and 1947, helping Britain to dominate the Battle of Britain during World War II. But frame and skin was also put to more peaceful aviation uses. The Slingsby Swallow, for example has brought enjoyment to a great number of glider enthusiasts in its history. The construction of both of these can be observed in the models exhibited.