Terricolous [ te-rik-uh-luhs ]
2024
Materials: Discarded & reused wood, 600 screws, reused nails, hay, soil, calcium carbonate powder & leftover paint.
6m x 4.5m x 6m
2024
Materials: Discarded & reused wood, 600 screws, reused nails, hay, soil, calcium carbonate powder & leftover paint.
6m x 4.5m x 6m
When coming upon ‘Terricolous’ in the thick deciduous forest, its form is reminiscent of the rough and twisted fairy tale architecture, though perhaps one might also imagine it to be some forgotten construction which has been sealed and repurposed through a process of remaking and rewilding. To any humans who come upon the work, it is clear that the structure has, had, or will have a function, however any such function is unknown and mysterious, hiding within the installation’s body, as the architecture obfuscates its intentions.
For non-humans however, ‘Terricolous’ is a space to be used and occupied as a place for building resilience. It is a Post-Anthropocene Architecture, site-specific installation and earthwork which utilizes cob walls supported by an interior wooden architecture to provide an insulated home that (primarily) invites colonization by bats, providing a habitat suitable for a large colony, from which its benefits to the local ecosystem can ripple outwards. Three small entry/exit ports, an opening between the roof and walls, as well as space between the roof and the central tree are openings for bats to enter/exit the installation, but which prevent access to other species. Suspended in the roof of the installation is a roosting structure made of woven tree-branches.
As a “keystone species”, bats provide outsized benefits to their local ecosystem by dispersing seeds and controlling pest-insect populations. Thus in providing for the bats, the surrounding environment becomes more habitable and healthy. However, ‘Terricolous’ doesn’t just provide a resilient space for a bat colony, but also protects the central ~85 year old sugar maple tree that the installation is constructed around. The bat colony provides a valuable source of fertilizer for the maple tree, thereby enabling the tree to continue growing alongside the bat population, whereby the tree can pass those nutrients onto a multitude of local wildlife. As a keystone species itself, the sugar maple provides for a myriad of other species, including 238 species of caterpillar. It is increasingly important to protect sugar maples as they have seen significant decline during the past four decades due to pests, disease and nutrient deficiencies. The work protects the individual tree by enveloping it in the cocoon of the structure, protects it from pests by encouraging habitation by bats as pest-predators, and encourages the soil to be nutrient rich through the fertilizer provided by the bats. In addition to all of this, the installation’s white roof also amplifies photosynthesis in the immediate surroundings by bouncing the dappled sunlight back into the canopy.
Through these features, the work creates a micro-ecosystem and biofeedback loop as the structure envelops its inhabitants (bat colony + sugar maple + other species)—insulating them from periods of extreme hot and cold weather, potential noise-pollution, while protecting them from human interference, as well as other predators—creating a space of resilience that provides refuge from the turbulence of anthropogenic climate change. In doing so, the sphere of influence of the structure ripples outwards to affect an ever greater area.
The work allows for growth of the maple tree for at least another 15 years before its trunk will come into contact with the installation’s structural round cedar timbers, providing time for: the space to be found and colonized by bats, for them to benefit to the local ecosystem, and for mutually beneficial relationships to develop between all known and unknown species. After that time, the tree will grow into the body of ‘Terricolous’; slowly and evenly pushing the architecture apart until its eventual collapse, at which point the bat colony will need to find new roosting space, but the corpse of the installation will remain to fuel new growth within the forest.
For non-humans however, ‘Terricolous’ is a space to be used and occupied as a place for building resilience. It is a Post-Anthropocene Architecture, site-specific installation and earthwork which utilizes cob walls supported by an interior wooden architecture to provide an insulated home that (primarily) invites colonization by bats, providing a habitat suitable for a large colony, from which its benefits to the local ecosystem can ripple outwards. Three small entry/exit ports, an opening between the roof and walls, as well as space between the roof and the central tree are openings for bats to enter/exit the installation, but which prevent access to other species. Suspended in the roof of the installation is a roosting structure made of woven tree-branches.
As a “keystone species”, bats provide outsized benefits to their local ecosystem by dispersing seeds and controlling pest-insect populations. Thus in providing for the bats, the surrounding environment becomes more habitable and healthy. However, ‘Terricolous’ doesn’t just provide a resilient space for a bat colony, but also protects the central ~85 year old sugar maple tree that the installation is constructed around. The bat colony provides a valuable source of fertilizer for the maple tree, thereby enabling the tree to continue growing alongside the bat population, whereby the tree can pass those nutrients onto a multitude of local wildlife. As a keystone species itself, the sugar maple provides for a myriad of other species, including 238 species of caterpillar. It is increasingly important to protect sugar maples as they have seen significant decline during the past four decades due to pests, disease and nutrient deficiencies. The work protects the individual tree by enveloping it in the cocoon of the structure, protects it from pests by encouraging habitation by bats as pest-predators, and encourages the soil to be nutrient rich through the fertilizer provided by the bats. In addition to all of this, the installation’s white roof also amplifies photosynthesis in the immediate surroundings by bouncing the dappled sunlight back into the canopy.
Through these features, the work creates a micro-ecosystem and biofeedback loop as the structure envelops its inhabitants (bat colony + sugar maple + other species)—insulating them from periods of extreme hot and cold weather, potential noise-pollution, while protecting them from human interference, as well as other predators—creating a space of resilience that provides refuge from the turbulence of anthropogenic climate change. In doing so, the sphere of influence of the structure ripples outwards to affect an ever greater area.
The work allows for growth of the maple tree for at least another 15 years before its trunk will come into contact with the installation’s structural round cedar timbers, providing time for: the space to be found and colonized by bats, for them to benefit to the local ecosystem, and for mutually beneficial relationships to develop between all known and unknown species. After that time, the tree will grow into the body of ‘Terricolous’; slowly and evenly pushing the architecture apart until its eventual collapse, at which point the bat colony will need to find new roosting space, but the corpse of the installation will remain to fuel new growth within the forest.
Terricolous was constructed during May and June of 2024 in Prince Edward County, Ontario, Canada—supported by The David Suzuki Foundation, Marcatus QED as well as the Canadian Museum of Nature--to be included in the 2024/25 Rewilding exhibition at the Canadian Museum of Nature.
