sea-to-sky dock

How might we design reefs and rituals for rockfish that increase habitat and bring local communities into a caring relationship with more-than-human life, in local coastal regions?

This project explored how design can support rockfish ecosystems from a more-than-human perspective. Through bodystorming dives at Whytecliff Park and Porteau Cove, we immersed ourselves in rockfish habitats to better understand the material, sensory, and ecological conditions that shape their lives—rock crevices, darkness, cold water, and interdependent species such as mussels and seagulls. Rather than designing for rockfish in isolation, the research led to the Sea-to-Sky Dock, a human-inaccessible structure that builds on existing ecological relationships: porous pillars for mussel growth, surfaces for seagulls to drop shells, and layered forms that allow natural reef structures to emerge over time. Visible but not usable by humans, the dock invites a relationship of care at a distance, encouraging reflection on how design might foster non-human rituals, interconnectivity, and the self-sustaining dynamics of marine ecosystems.

Project partner: Zara Huntley

The Rockfish Reef project was run in 2018 by Amanda Huynh, Charlotte Falk, and Zack Camozzi.