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STUSSY VANCOUVER

 
The Squamish Valley / Exhibition Synopsis 「前書き」 Photo By Andre Pinces

We had our first chance to look at the final architectural blue prints for the build out of our latest endeavor, Stussy Vancouver. Turned out that the plans made for the stores’ fixtures were going to be a harder task to acquire than we could have ever anticipated. Retailers just couldn’t get us what we needed, either the measurements were off, or the angles didn’t work. We were left with but one option; to have the fixtures custom milled. It took us a minute to get over the initial disappointment of the cost associated with these fixtures and the time lag we would be up against. We then realized the unique opportunity sprawled out in front of us. We could go directly to the source and in doing so, have the opportunity not only to photo document the journey of the wood from the forest to the floor, but to produce goods within a 30 mile radius of our stores　location. One of the up-sides to the great white north we call home. It can’t get much closer than that. This is what we found…. We are on the road to Squamish, a local gem known for its world-class hiking and climbing sites. A town of 15000 people neighbouring Canada’s vast temperate rainforest. Its name was adapted from ‘Sko-mish’, the First Nations People who occupied the valley for over 5000 years. Heavily rooted in forestry, mining, and farming, and evidently rich in natural resources.

最初にStussy Vancouverの最終図面を広げた時、この計画が予想以上に困難なものになると思い知らされた。幾つかの業者に確認したところ一部の材料が内装の寸法に合わなかったり、角度の問題等で我々が必要としている資材が通常のルートでは手に入らないとわかった。言い換えれば全ての資材をカスタムメイドで用意する手段しか残っていなかったのだ。施工に関してのコスト面や納期に関しては悲観せざるを得なかったが、逆に滅多にないチャンスだと考えた。実際に木材がある現場に足を運ぶ事で床材となる木材を記録として写真に収めるだけでなく、店舗の30マイル圏内で施工に必要な全ての素材を調達する事ができる事に気付いた。中々そんなロケーションに恵まれる事はないだろうし、そんな事が可能なのは我々がThe Great White Northに住む利点の一つである事に他ならない。Squamishはハイキングとクライミングで世界的に有名。人口は1万5千人で周辺にはカナダ有数の温帯降雨林が広がる。町名の由来とされている"Sko-mish"は5千年前にその谷に住んでいた先住民族の名前である。林業と鉱業と農業が古くから営まれる事からも資源のとても豊かな土地である事が分かる。

 
Squamish Valley Road Photo By Andre Pinces

Just off the ‘Sea to Sky’ highway on the Squamish valley road, we approach the first signs of the logging industry. The road is quiet this time of year, with fresh crisp forest air. This is the same road taken by trucks carrying lumber, and leads to the original home of the naked Fir trees we are after.

Squamish Valley Roadにある"Sea to Sky" highwayと呼ばれる道にさしかかると、このあたり一帯が林業を生業としてる事が良く分かる。この季節は割と静かで森の空気が清々しい道であるが、同時にこの道は材木を運ぶトラックの通り道であり、この道こそ我々が必要としているモミの木の原生林へ続く道なのだ。

 
Great Bear Rainforest Photo By Andre Pinces

Bordering the outskirts of Canada’s temperate rainforest, we took this photo 20 feet from Squamish Valley Rd. It is amazing how quickly the road and noise of civilization we have grown used to, simply disappears upon entry of a forest with trees standing as old as 1000 years. The colors and shades of green glow vibrantly, layered one upon the other. See if you can spot the missing shoe… a subtle reminder of urban life.

カナダの温帯降雨林との境目となるSquamish Valley Roadから20フィート程離れた場所の写真。樹齢千年の木々がある森に入ると我々が日々当然如く耳にしている文明社会の雑音や道路からの騒音が嘘みたいに消えるから不思議である。様々な色合いの緑が層を成し鮮やかに輝いている光景を見ていると（写真中央に写っている誰かの忘れ物の靴を除けば）都市生活の事など忘れてしまいそうな雰囲気である。

 
Tools of the trade 「商売道具」 Photo By Andre Pinces

Lumberjack (‘Lum-ber-jak’) noun
1. A person who works at lumbering; logger.
2. Lumber jacket
3. Canadian. The gray jay

Lumber jack and his chainsaw. This guy was cool. Though we were unable to get shots of the actual ‘falling’ of the trees due to safety regulations, Mr. “no names please” let us hang around and snap shots of him cutting up old deadwood which would later be used as firewood. He went on to tell us about loggings ‘glory days’ in the late ‘80’s, before it became regulated, and one could go about their job freely. The loggers are faced with the reality of destroying sections of forest. Seems like an intense contradiction. No judgement though – I guess these are simply the sacrifices we have to make in order to be surrounded by what we love.

今回知り合った伐採担当者と本人愛用のチェーンソー。この人はクールだった。安全規則の関係で実際に木が倒れる瞬間の写真は撮らせてくれなかったが名前を明かさないのであれば・・・という条件のもと薪用の枯れ枝を細かく切っている写真を撮らせてもらうことができた。そして彼は林業に対する規制が厳しくなる以前の自由に仕事ができた80年代後半、言わば「栄光の日々」について語ってくれた。彼らは森林破壊の現実に直面しているがそれは究極の矛盾であるように思える。しかしそれは我々が判断する事ではないし、人間が思いのままの生活をする為には多少の犠牲はやむを得ないのかもしれない。

 
Reforestation 「森林再生」 Photo By Andre Pinces

This area was clear-cut in the summer of 2008.The white shapes in the background are plastic cones set up to protect the saplings planted as part of the reforestation program. This is the kind of give and take that took us far too long to realize. If you keep chopping the trees down, you’ll run out. Interestingly these areas are tucked away from visibility, where a layer of 2 – 3 trees deep remains on the edge of each clear cut sector, hiding it from the average passer by. We were given a heads up from a local logger on where to find patches of empty forest. Without him we wouldn’t know where to start.

このエリアは2008年夏に伐採された場所。写真の後ろの方にある白っぽくぼやけているのが森林再生プロジェクトの一環として植えられた若木を保護する為のプラスチック製プロテクター。これが長い時間をかけて捻り出したギブアンドテイクの手段の一つである。ただただ木を切り倒し続けていく一方という訳にはいかないのだ。面白い事にこういった伐採された箇所は端から見ると中々気づきにくい。通りがかりの人間に気づかれないよう伐採された箇所沿いに並木を2、3列が残しているという事だ。実際、伐採者の案内がなかったら絶対に気づく事はなかっただろう。

 
Sorting yard 「仕分け場」 Photo By Andre Pinces

After the trees have been cut down they are lifted and hauled by large logging trucks and brought to a nearby sorting yard on the edge of the Fraser River. The location here is key. Once the logs have been bundled into groups, a tugboat pulls the ‘log jam’ down the river into the Pacific Fraser Bay, where they are sent to a mill and milled into workable wood.

切り倒された木材はFraser河畔にある仕分け場まで大型トラックで運ばれる。この場所が肝心で、ある程度量がまとまり次第今度は船で河口にある中継地点を経て加工場へと発送される。

 
The mill 「加工場」Photo By Ryan Willms

Here the logs are cut into standard-sized boards and timbers, and prepared for consumer use, but before this, the logs must go through a tedious and time consuming drying period. First they must be air-dried until they reach a state referred to as ‘fiber saturation point’–when the majority of the water left is only in the cellor fiber walls. Next, the kiln drying process is set to a rate of 2% water evaporation per day, and any mishap here, can make or break the entire load. The pressure is on. The moisture levels in raw lumber are crucial, as too much or too little can warp and destroy the timber.

ここで市場の規格サイズにカットされる訳だが、その切断行程の前に生木を十分に乾燥させなければならない。まずは細胞レベルのみにしか水分が残っていない状態まで乾かした後に窯で一日２％のペースで水分を蒸発させていくのだが、この行程で失敗すると全てが水の泡になってしまう危険性があり細心の注意が必要とされる。生木の状態での水分の割合が最も大切でこれが多くても少なくても後々のゆがみや破損の原因となってしまうのだ。

 
Finished wood at the mill「加工場での最終行程」Photo By Ryan Willms

The final step! The Fir needed for the shop has been cut into custom sized boards, and is ready to go into the wood shop and transformed into store fixtures.

最終行程。指定のサイズにカットされ出荷や什器に生まれ変わる準備が整った。

 
Stussy Vancouver store Oct. 15 2008 Photo By Andre Pinces

Running Fir inventory:
265 4 x 4’s
137 1 x 8’s
1 Cash Desk
1 Shelving Bench
2 Free Standing Racks
2 Stools
2 Small tables
7 Shelving Units

4 x 4インチの角材：265本
1 x 8インチの角材：137本
レジ台：1
ベンチ：1
ラック：2
椅子：2
机：2
棚什器：7

 
October 23 2008 Photo By Ryan Willms

With all the raw lumber on site in the Stussy Vancouver store we fly in Matt McNaught and John from Toronto, they have built out many projects with United Front and they will be heading up a 4 person work crew on this build out.

すべての資材がStussy Vancouverに揃ったので我々同様、Matt McNaughtとJohnもトロントから現地入り。

 
"You start with a cut list" 「組み立て開始」 Photo By Ryan Willms

The modular nature of this design requires that all the raw lumber to be meticulously fitted to allow for the interlocking pieces to fit together in a flush seamless manner. Before any tools are used the plans are studied and measurements are checked and double checked.

今回の什器はモジュール式の組み立て什器であるのでどのパーツ（木材）も寸分の狂い無く組み立てられるように入念な確認が必要となる。

 
Step and repeat 「延々と続く作業」 Photo By Ryan Willms

The raw lumber is drilled out on the drill press. Each piece is counter sunk and has a pilot hole drilled out – this is incredibly repetitive as each piece has to be drilled out as many as 36 times. A total of 5200 holes where counter sunk and drilled to complete the store. 5 full days on the Drill press.

木材をボール盤（ドリル台）で加工。それぞれ所定の箇所にタッピングの為の下穴を施す。これが実に根気のいるプロセスで、（中には下穴を36箇所穴を空けなければならないパーツもあった）すべてのパーツを仕上げるのに計5,600箇所、丸5日間掛かった。

 
The Jig Photo By Andre Pinces

It all comes together.

いよいよ組み立て。

 
Ready to be assembled 「組み立て準備完了」 Photo By Ryan Willms

After all the lumber has been prepared is marked and sorted into stacks that will become the finished fixtures.

木材は仕上がったところで内装と什器の使用別に分けておく。

 
Coming to form 「組み立て途中」

Right now we are working to assemble the fixtures using 6” long half inch diameter bolts. This takes a lot of time and patience as no matter how precise the woodworking you are still working with organic material with each piece bringing its own bends, warps and unique properties.

6インチのボルトが使われている什器の組み立て途中。どんなに精密な技術で加工を施してもそれが天然素材である以上、屈曲やゆがみ等の表情が出てくる。

 
Opening in 7 days... 「オープンまであと7日・・・」

Everyone is working to get this done for Nov.7 opening – its going to be tight (it always is...).　Word is we have fresh troops coming up to help as crew from Stussy California is coming in Monday, leave the Stussy deluxe cashmere at home and bring the work gear, its time to get dirty.

11月7日のオープンに向けて皆一丸となって頑張っているが予想通りきつい・・・。月曜に本社から新しいメンバーが手伝いに来てくれるらしい。汚れるのが嫌ならDELUXEラインのカシミアセーターは置いて来た方が賢明だろう。

 
November 07 2008 Photo By Andre Pinces

265 4 x 4’s
137 1 x 8’ s
5200 Holes Drilled
1000 Plus Labour hours

4 x 4インチの角材：265本
1 x 8インチの角材：137本
空けた穴数：5,200箇所
就労時間：1,000時間以上

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무언가를 만든다는 것은 정말 멋진 일이다.
무에서 유를 창조한다는 큰 의미를 들먹이지 않더라도
어떤 일에 대해 고민을 시작하고 시도를 해 보고 결과를 만들어 내는 과정들.
그리고 해 냈다는 그 기쁨.

나는 아직도 나무를 보면 '저걸로 뭔가를 만들면 좋겠다'를 생각하고
멋진 공구들을 보면 '저게 있으면 그것도 만들수 있겠다'를 생각한다.
인테리어 공사중인 가게를 보고 서서 나 혼자만의 동선을 그려보기도 하고
다른 사람들의 결과물을 보면 '아, 이건 이렇게 하는구나' 라고 노하우를 배우기도 한다.

최근에 '장사'라는 것을 손에서 놓으면서 이제는 푹 쉬자... 했었는데
위의 저 사진들을 보자마자
축축한 나무 냄새와 기계들의 기름 냄새
드릴 비트에 타 들어가는 나무의 향
코 끝을 간지럽히는 톱밥들
그리고 구겨진 도면들
마치 저 공간에 있다가 온 것처럼 고스란히 생각이 났다.

사람들이 바쁘게 오가면서 새로운 공간이 창조되고
모든 일들을 끝내고 그 공간을 바라봤을 때의 그 느낌을 한번 맛 보면
그동안 겪었던 피터지는 고통의 시간들을 기억 저편에 묻어두고
또 다시 시작하고 싶어진다.