The brick, literally formed from earth itself, is one of the most ancient building materials in the world. Already in the story of the Tower of Babel, brick construction has been described as a specific technology which endows humanity with power—power that becomes threatening to the biblical god.
The Brick has the contradictory quality of being both structure and cladding at the same time. An interlocking pattern ensures the stability of the wall and forms a continuous fabric. Building with bricks introduced an ornamental grid that extends from the dawn of civilised life to our present-day digital raster graphics. It is a geometrically rigid system, but one which calls for deviation.
