Tensegrity Workshop

We gathered as the Atelier Marko Brajovic team in Paraty, Brazil, to collectively build a tensegrity structure and strengthen our bonds along the way.

What is a tensegrity?

A tensegrity (short for “tensional integrity”) is a structural system where rigid struts float within a continuous network of tension cables. No strut touches another; the structure holds its shape entirely through balanced forces, a concept popularized by Buckminster Fuller and Kenneth Snelson.

The build

Using metal tubes for compression and cables for tension, we assembled the structure outdoors. Each person held a strut or pulled a cable while the system gradually found its equilibrium. The structure simply could not stand without everyone participating at once; one person letting go would collapse the whole thing.

The result

The final structure stood over three meters tall, a self-supporting system of floating struts held together purely by tension. The physical act of collectively keeping it in balance mirrored how we collaborate in the studio.