Assemble draws on folkloric rituals for dog-like shelter in London
Architecture collective Assemble has married thatch and timber to craft Fibredog, a public artwork that doubles as a shelter in London, on show as part of the Frieze Sculpture show.
Located in Regent's Park, the installation was created by Turner Prize-winning Assemble for this year's edition of the Frieze Sculpture art initiative, which runs alongside the London edition of the Frieze Art Fair.
Fibredog is intended to resemble a mythical creature and responds to the event's theme, In the Shadows, which explores darkness as a space for creativity, rather than as an ominous one.
It is positioned among trees and logs on a site in Regent's Park and was designed to have a looming presence that simultaneously feels like a natural and protective part of the landscape.
This concept draws on folkloric crafts and customs, such as the global tradition of handmaking figures, including the wicker man, worry dolls and corn dollies, to confront anxieties.
Assemble also drew on den-building culture, traditional thatch roofs and the park itself to develop the material palette of cedar, woven wicker, sedge-grass thatch and guy ropes.
"Trained as architects, we are used to building objects at a larger scale generally, and for this year's Frieze Sculpture brief it felt even more exciting to create a sense of looming presence, a spectacular being, referencing the wicker man or an object which can be read as part of the landscape," Assemble partner Maria Lisogorskaya told Dezeen.
"Some conceptual threads include how folkloric crafts and rituals offer a cathartic creative framework," added partner Mary Anderson.
"It's been interesting to highlight a human impulse to make things in the face of the unknown and the potential power of that for better or for worse," she continued.
Fibredog's body was designed to emulate a thatched roof, offering shelter within the park and "blurring the line between architecture and art".
It was created in collaboration with basket maker Mollie McMillen and master thatcher Mark Harrington, while the cedar structural frame was developed with furniture manufacturer UniFor in its factory outside of Milan.
Beyond creating a playful and intriguing sculpture, Assemble wanted Fibredog to draw attention to the potential of local and pre-industrial materials.
"While traditional building crafts like wicker and thatch might seem a world away from lots of Londoners' daily lives, reflecting on how things are made and what has been passed down through generations highlights a human capacity to question, invent and solve things," said Anderson.
"This is something that we think is important to keep in the public consciousness and something that we see as being under threat."
Fibredog will be on show at Frieze Sculpture until 2 November 2025. Assemble is now looking for plans to rehome it after the event and is in touch with the owners of various parks and public spaces.
Founded in 2010, Assemble is a multi-disciplinary collective that works across architecture, design and art. Its previous projects include Granby Winter Garden in Liverpool and "skatable sculptures" created for Creative Folkestone Triennial.
The photography is courtesy of Assemble.
Frieze London runs from 15 to 19 October 2025. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.
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