FIND YOURSELF IN AN EMBRACE OF THE EARTH
The site identified calls for an intervention, due to its positioning elevated above Loch Lubnaig, its natural undulation in the landscape and due to the situation adjacent to the site. The place already clearly enjoyed by visitors, a natural hearth has been set out for us.
Sloc is Gaidhlig for "hollow" or a cavity in a landscape. It is an apt description. Sìtheanach, the Gaelic for "Faerie", the mystical creatures which according to our folklore roamed the landscape, and are associated with places associated with "peace" and "tranquility".
We should attempt to enhance the qualities of the forms of the landscape. Therefore, a short embankment is proposed to screen the site from the cars / road, and a very small cut with projecting canopy defined a seat to gather around. A series of posts disappearing into the hollow is a signal of its presence.
Filtering out the road noise, congregation around a hearth, an embrace of the retained earth opening to the loch, is the ethos of this design. The poetry at your feet, 'Now Winters' Wind Sweeps' by local bard Alexander Campbell depicts mans place in natural cycles, and encourages the visitor to reflect on their fleeting presence in the landscape.
