ANDREW KELLY & BETH LEGG: Self-Directed Residency, 2014

I spent the much of the week in Inshraich constructing, erecting and recording Aeolian harps, designed to be easily carried and assembled on site. Aeolian harps are ancient Greek stringed instruments that are played by the natural force of air movement rather than being plucked by hand. The duration and dynamic of sound that the harp makes is determined by the direction and force of the wind. Beth spent the week documenting the surrounding landscape with its moss coated trails, trees, and rocks coated with lichen. Beth’s work is drawn from a strong connection with the Scottish landscape and she was working towards her solo show at the Scottish Gallery in Edinburgh.

We stoked the fire …planned our days and meals

We ate well

We learned new skills (chopping wood) and re-discovered old ones (climbing trees)

We walked and climbed

We showered outdoors flying skeins of geese overhead

The radio and candle light were our night time companions

Once in the Bothy rhythm, familiar and at home with our surroundings

Beth photographed, sketched and planned new work

I sawed, drilled, assembled, tested, planned, packed

We climbed once more

I chased the wind -Beth chased nature, wildlife and documented the many Lichen specimens

I experimented and installed ……(with various degrees of success)

We recorded, documented and absorbed once more

We were sad to have our last night in our birch woods and temporary Bothy home

We returned rejuvenated and enriched by the Bothy experience and the richness of Inshraich and the Cairngorms landscape.

 

Andrew Kelly – Aeolian Recording – Inshraich 2014

Many thanks to the Bothy Project and Inshraich Farm for a wonderful experience