Researchers found that cracks in the concrete were filled in with lime. They were sealed. Those clasts of lime in the concrete mix were not an accident or sloppy work - they were there to dissolve in rainwater and fill any developing cracks. Roman concrete was self- healing!
The term self-healing is so humane, so kind. It speaks to our psychology and fear of ecocide more than to building engineering. It is a term very much in the forefront of humanity’s twenty-first century zeitgeist. I started work on a new series, Self Healing Concrete , in 2023. For the viewer, the perception of the imagery in these paintings is altered by the reading of their titles. *
above: Self Healing: Failure , 2025, 46 x 23 cm. right: Self Healing: Colour , 2025. 86 x 122 cm. below: Self Healing: Black and White , 2024. 81 x 122 cm.
all images: Sheila Ayearst
SHEILA AYEARST, born in Ottawa, BFA from York University, lives and works in Toronto. She has exhibited throughout Canada and is represented in museum, corporate and private collections. https://sheilaayearst.com
8 on site review 48 :: building materials
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