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The Evolving Floating Stones Since childhood I have lived by the sea always out walking - pockets full of stones - captivated by the tides and its movements - washing clean the sands - other times leaving strange objects - making shapes and patterns in the sand. At times the sea is wild and forbidding - at times calm and tranquil. Walking timeless hours - anytime of year - day or night - any weather - picking up bits and pieces - rolling, kicking stones along - throwing things in the sea, watching its movement. The first ceramic stone just happened - more followed - they went into the fish tank - one stone happened to float - magic - more were made to accompany it - went to the beach with one floating stone in my pocket - next night with three - then a bucket with nine - spent much time of the winter with buckets of floating stones on the beach - observing the mood and movements of the tide - finding the spring tide at full moon and new moon moving faster as it has further to go than at neap tides - working out where the best part of the beach to launch a large stone circle. A day was planned. Full moon at low ebb on May 17th - am - 333 floating stones were placed in a large circle, on newly washed sand, just as the sun rose over the sand dunes- waiting for the tide to come in - to disperse and transform the stone circle into new shapes and patterns - never resting long - floating , settling, rolling floating - constantly forming new patterns as the sea moved them back and forth - getting closer to the shoreline. By 10 am on the last wave - scattered along the seashore on clean sand and seaweed, the tide retreating towards the horizon taking a few floating stones with it - to reach other strange shore lines. the remaining floating stones were gathered - placed in a newly built pond - to circle round the fountain - jostling together making murmuring sounds - creating constantly changing patterns of form, colour and texture - the fountains gentle water cascading over the multi - coloured stones. The Scottish Highlands is an abundance of lochans, large and small, in all shapes and sizes - located in magic places low and high- reflecting the mood of the sky - echoing the clouds and patterns of the hills- the wind and the light ceaselessly playing on the water's surface- at times calm and serene, mirroring the landscape - at other times wild and frantic - some lochans deep and bottomless- other shallow and weedy - no wonder many legends of monsters witches and water horses have evolved and flourished over the years. I spend much time by these lochans, contemplating, reflecting - three floating stones went in my pocket on the way to such a loch, 2772 feet high in the hills - Wednesday, 31st August 1994. As a gift three floating stones were launched - just as the sun was setting over the mirror black lochan - a magic moment in my life. Since then 110 more lochans scattered around the hills of the Highlands - somehow connected with invisible lines - a network of floating stones developing - extending to other parts of the globe. August 1997 - the first one leaving the North Coast in a rucksack heading for a distant loch in Mexico - 332 more are to leave with the collaboration of kindred spirits. Click to see more |
