Talus Dome

Composed of nearly 1,000 hand crafted stainless steel spheres that together assume the shape of an abstracted pile or mound, Talus Dome reflects the sky, the weather and the river of cars that pass by it. Talus Dome is both a sculpture in the landscape and a mirror to the landscape.

Before the Quesnell bridge was constructed, talus forms of earth occurred naturally along the river valley. The artwork reminds us of the landscape that has been altered by the bridge, a rigid, controlled construction that meets our need to traverse the obstacle of the river. It refers to the coexistence of the man-made and the natural.

The spheres were fabricated by hand, either spun or hydro-formed depending on the particular size. Each sphere then went through a grinding and polishing process to achieve the mirror finish. 

The marine grade 316L mirror polished stainless steel used is among the highest-grade stainless steel available for architectural scaled applications. It will remain ageless through the cycle of seasons and over many years.

At the same time, the surface of Talus Dome will take on different colours with the changing seasons and hours of the day. Its visual quality is not static, and therefore creates a balance between its permanence, and its changeable appearance that suggests the mutability of nature.

The sculpture is located at a major junction of the city’s river valley trail system, and is accessible to a wide range of people – walkers, runners, bikers, skiers, inline skaters. While visible from the road, the best way to experience Talus Dome is from the adjacent trail.