Weatherboard (shiplap)

158*57*42cm, lumber, 2024

While researching, I discovered the history of cladding, which led me to realise that weatherboard technology originally stemmed from Viking shipbuilding techniques. This explains why, in the UK, this material is often called "shiplap" rather than "weatherboard."

The form of the artwork is directly inspired by the visual concept of a ship's keel. This design choice simultaneously corresponds to the ship, the most vital tool of the colonial era.

Interestingly, the ship's planking (shiplap) was designed to defend against seawater coming up from below, whereas architectural weatherboard is designed to protect against rainwater coming down from above. Although the underlying construction techniques are similar, the resulting forms differ. I chose to merge these two distinct aesthetics: the curved shape of a ship's hull and the alternating, overlapping arrangement of architectural weatherboard interwoven with the main structural beams. This fusion resulted in my work, which I titled "雨淋板 shiplap”.