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..
