light circle 2m diam/cairn/surround audio
cairngorms national park: strathmashie forest, laggan
2011 / 12
where long shadows fall residency
test
Sòrn explored the connections between worlds, time, land and sky. The artwork comprised a subtle circle of light in a low mound of stones set in a remote clearing deep in the forest. Surround audio from speakers in the trees created a soundscape in all directions.
Sòrn made reference to the winter solstice and the returning sun through the circle of dim light. The cairn of stones represented a meeting place, a memorial, a marker. It was reminiscent of the structures built by our early ancestors who had a keen awareness of the movements of celestial bodies and of a transparency between this world and another.
A collage of sound appeared to come from high in the trees around the clearing: voices, Gaelic song , bells, chimes, birds, animals, rain, water and wind. Gill worked with young people at Fèisean a’ Mhonaidh Ruaidh to record some of the audio material.
The name Sòrn is a loosely translated from the Gaelic, means ‘hearth’ or ‘chimney’. In this context it describes a sort of transformative or liminal meeting place.
Sòrn was designed to be seen in total darkness and was reached by a 5 minute walk along a forestry track from the Wolftrax Centre, Laggan. It was opened on the winter solstice 2011 with a lantern parade to the site and a performance of gaelic song.
Read a review here
