A Tribute
No building was ever constructed in a meeting. Computers can’t lay bricks, pour concrete or fit out a toilet. And for all the convenience online shopping provides, until you actually sit on a chair, open a drawer or switch on a light, you can’t know how it feels in real life.
That’s why we have so much affection and respect for the walking, talking human beings who constructed our building. Labourers are not high-tech people. They’re skinny and their shoes are floppy and they have to walk a distance to reach the site day in, day out. We were amazed by how they turned up every day and worked from morning till night at tasks most of us couldn’t do for a week, let alone three years.
Over time we got to know some of them well – their habits, what made them smile, who was quick to respond and who got shy and self-conscious.
They were real people, just like us. When they completed our building, we made this installation to honor them. I love walking by it and bringing to mind the men and women who brought our dream to life. Real life.
