Murky Waters

SHOW: All ARCHITECTURE FURNITURE OBJECTS

2024|Winnipeg,MB,Canada
Status: Built

Credits: Client: The Forks Renewal Corporation
Design: Unearthed Practice
Christopher Loofs, Jordan Loofs, Kaci Marshall
Project Management: Sputnik Architecture Inc.
Construction: Anvil Tree Inc.
Photography: Jordan Loofs

Murky Waters:shared earth of red dirt, murky waters frozen.
connecting what is and was.
hearths long submerged, buried by time.
artifacts of when bison roamed, stone tools, charcoal,
and Catfish Bones.
unearthed and brought to ice, inviting all.
who skate over this history.
who can’t see beneath the waters.
for the local and the visitor
Murky Waters beckons to explore the shared stories of our red dirt.

Want to design your own version of the Murky Waters Hut? Download the DIY Cut-Fold-Glue paper model here!

Selected as a winning entry to the 2024 Warming Huts competition, Murky Waters sits on the frozen surface of the Assiniboine River as it flows into the Red River of the North. Resting on the ice sits a fish out of water. Pops of black contrast the freshly fallen snow, inviting skaters to investigate. They are greeted by the long face of the catfish, its eyes blank and open, allowing light into the skull’s interior. Other visitors already sit inside on a long bench, catching their breath and retying skates away from the biting winds. Past the opening extends a series of ribs connected by a thick rope spine. The rope bisects the area, catching all visitors and encouraging them to move around the entire structure, exploring the different elements of the aquatic skeleton. The rope spine terminates in a bony tail, its base merged into another bench for when the days are not as cold.

The junction of the two rivers, today called The Forks (also known as Nestawaya in Cree) has been a meeting place for over 6,000 years. Archaeological digs in the 80s and 90s unearthed discoveries included hearths, campsites, fish bones, and stone tool flakes. These findings offer a valuable record of Indigenous occupations of the Nakoda (Assiniboins), Cree and Anishinaabe (Ojibwa) and Dakota at the site.

With ever shifting ice conditions, Murky Waters sits on skids allowing it to move around as necessary. Exploring skid construction led to the next source of inspiration: the ice-fishing customs of the region. Online forums crowdsourcing construction advice using standard materials of two-by lumber and plywood. Tents, shacks, and shanties bought prefab or crafted at home, no matter the form their purpose united to catch the biggest “channel-cats” through holes in the ice.

The final design merges elements of the various point of inspiration: the boney form from the history of the site, the channel catfish from the local fishing traditions, the materials from everyday ice-fishing huts, and the emphasis on environmental awareness from the ongoing climate crisis.