A revolutionary process for the extrusion of molten plastic into mesh structures was invented by Brian Mercer in Blackburn in the 1960s.

Branded as Netlon, it was sold worldwide and further development resulted in the invention of Tensar, a plastic grid as strong as steel which is widely used within civil engineering and still manufactured in the town.

Inspired by Mercer’s futuristic vision and his engagement with the visual arts and drawing upon the patterns and repetitions of Netlon, the work merges archival material with artificial intelligence generated patterns, proposing a collaborative artwork that shifts between invention and imagination. Best experienced lying down and looking upwards in the Fusebox, the film invites viewers into a dreamlike, immersive space where history, technology, and creativity converge.

In the 1960s, Blackburn engineer and inventor Brian Mercer developed a revolutionary process for extruding molten plastic into mesh structures. Branded Netlon, the material was sold worldwide and became the foundation for further innovations. From this work came Tensar, a plastic grid as strong as steel, which transformed civil engineering and continues to be manufactured in Blackburn today.

Mercer’s innovations extended beyond industry. Through a business encounter in New York, he developed a friendship with the surrealist artist Salvador Dalí. In 1973, Dalí painted a surrealist portrait of Mercer, completed during Mercer’s visits to the artist’s home in Spain. This unlikely relationship forged a surprising cultural connection between Blackburn and one of the most celebrated figures of twentieth-century art, the portrait hanging in his house in Blackburn.