Erratics Net

Daltech Department of Architecture

Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia - 1998

Erratics Net is a complex interlinked wire fabric mounted on a glacier-scoured terrain in Nova Scotia. Layers of new strata floating just above the surface of the land are developed within the foam-like filigree of this textile installation. The first stage of this installation was developed during a special course in experimental structures at Daltech Department of Architecture, 1998. A special soil reinforcing mesh was developed for this shore, a wide-spread net anchoring into the rock surface. This artificial reef encourages turf growth by means of a myriad of hooked clips catching wind-blown plant matter, holding and amassing a matted matrix serving as synthetic soil. In this state, the textile is organized in a pillowed form of alternating peaks and valleys, presenting barbs outward catching new material and inward for anchoring beneath. These anchors hold the net just above the bare rock, making a shallow film of still, sheltered air allowing delicate growth to emerge. The net is made with wire joints clamped by sliding flexible tubes that lock each link to its neighbour making a tough, resilient structure.