Gigantic Pile : Relics of the Future

Protruding through the cracks in the pavement and escaping from The Art House roof are two large-scale sculptures by artist Catriona Robertson. Taking the form of enormous earthworms, the works seem to devour themselves through the ground, regurgitating and rejuvenating the earth below.

Robertson’s practice explores architecture and ideas of the monumental; ruins of buildings, and void spaces interwoven with the fast-changing, rising concrete landscape. Using a combination of construction and discarded recycled materials, Robertson creates situations where the sculptures are suggestive of a form of destruction, or are gradually being destroyed in the process of making. She seeks to highlight how human activity has altered
our landscapes, with man-made materials restricting vegetational growth.

Synthetic materials, such as tarmac and concrete when left behind, entangle with the earth to form new ecologies. The artist invites us to ask how we can reconnect with nature to create an integrated and thriving community, to open up the space and allow for a rewilding of the city.

Constructed from recycled newspaper pulp, reclaimed corrugated metal and plywood, the artist’s Gigantic Pile series grow in and out of her control. A performative navigation emerges as the structures take on their own life, weathering over time, with rainfall eroding its surfaces to create cavities that provide habitats for future wildlife.