Woolly Walls are architectural sculptural objects constructed out of earth, clay, stone dust, hemp shiv, and sheeps wool. The work reflects a largely forgotten construction practice in Scotland: fiber-reinforced earthen wall construction. Fiber reinforced earth has been used as a construction material throughout Scotland’s civilisation. Cob, or mudwall, is a technique in which subsoil is combined with natural fibers such as straw and then compacted into load-bearing walls.
This work is a contemporary take on mudwall construction that uses carded wool fleece as a stabilizer. The wool adds tensile strength while also creating a curiously fuzzy textured surface that invites tactile engagement.
To make the models, freshly shorn fleece was washed and carded before being mixed by hand with earth, stone dust, and clay. The mixes were then tamped by hand into custom made wooden formwork.Each piece is composed of a different earth/wool ‘recipe’ in a range of earth-y colors and textures; recipes and corresponding collages are included in the exhibition.
The objects are architectural in materiality, shape and form. While they are not scale building models per se, they start to suggest models for how we might better build in the future. The work is part of a touring exhibition and will be at the following venues in Scotland:
Old Post Office: Spring 2025, Langholm
Kilmartin Museum: Summer 2025, Kilmarten
The Old Mill: Autumn 2025, Killin
Borders Textile Towerhouse: Winter 2026, Hawick
Creation Mill Textile Centre: Spring 2025, Langholm
Dunfermline Carnegie Library: Summer 2026, Dunfermline
Verdant Works: Late Summer 2026, Dundee
Gracefield Art Centre, Autumn 2026, Dumfries
Gairloch Museum, Winter 2027, Gairloch
Rozelle House, Spring 2027, Ayr
Kirkcudbright Galleries, Summer 2027, Kirkcudbright
Strathnaver Museum, Late Summer 2027, Thurso
The Barn, Banchory, Autumn 2027, Banchory
Funding: SSHRC Innovative Initiative Grant: Earthworks: Architecture’s Regenerative Material Models.
Earth/wool mix development completed during an open residency at Cove Park in Argyll and Bute, Scotland.
This work used repurposed moulds for these related projects:
Archi-fringe ‘Reciprocities’ Exhibition
Proto-architectural Regenerative Material Models