Erratics are rocks transported and deposited by glaciers, distinct from their surrounding bedrock and significant for studying past glacial activity. Their size and distribution offer insights into the glaciers’ speed, movement, and ice flow conditions. Large boulders often travel vast distances, while smaller erratics are carried by lighter flows, reflecting varying ice dynamics and time scales.
This research leads to the development of an archive for glacial erratics in Sweden’s Tarfala Valley, recorded through walking through pavilions that serve as markers of glacial presence and absence. Positioned at Lake Laukkujärvi, the building collects glacial meltwater and physicalizes the flow of knowledge, people, and natural elements. The archive integrates public and private spaces: a gallery and central garden that exhibits erratics, while researchers engage in mineral studies and cartographic mapping.
The archive emphasizes porosity, circulation, and stitching timelines, connecting past glacial activity to future climate insights. Light, water, and views frame erratics, while tidal pools respond to natural water flows. Through its spatial organization and materiality, the archive serves as a dynamic space for archiving, researching, and engaging with the glacial gradient and landscape, suturing the past and present into a cohesive narrative of glacial movement and disappearance.
