TOUCHSTONES

July, 2005

During the early stages of a project a title can, sometimes, give direction to the work. It may help you define what you are looking for and what you aren’t. An early working title for TOUCHSTONES was “Kirks, Crofts & Standing Stones”. One focus for this title was the many small churches which some thought were built on standing stone sites. On more than one occasion I did find standing stones in the churchyard or cemetery of these buildings. Perhaps they are there, but now lay hidden or disguised by the foundations for churches. At the very least, conjecture provides great fuel for the imagination.

In May of 2003, Alex Mark (my student assistant from The Waterford School) and I were based in Elgin for several days. After working at Elgin Cathedral and Spynie Palace we decided to head south into less populated areas. Examining the Historic Scotland map we noticed several small churches south of Elgin. One was noted as “a roofless ruin with an exceptionally ornate Romanesque arch”. I thought it worth investigation so off we went.

We eventually found this beautiful site, set on a small hillside with a glen and stream off to one side. The churchyard was entered either through the gate or up a set of stone steps that took you up over the surrounding wall. After working for a while and trying to make images of the doorway, cemetery and glen, I returned to the car to reload film holders.

While sitting on the ground changing film, the position of the sun changed and all of a sudden the sunlight came flowing down these steps like water running down a set of rapids. I quickly set up my camera right where I had been sitting and made a negative. Within moments the light changed and the entire area was flooded with light. The flowing light had disappeared and my photograph was gone. One negative was all I got out of that situation.

Until those few moments the place had been a disappointment. I had been working hard to make photographs of a place my curiosity had brought me to. This image was completely unexpected but because I had been working the site to find an image I was ready when the photo fairies presented the opportunity to me.

I wonder if this church was built on a standing stone site. I found no evidence that it was but it would have been a perfect location being located on a small hill, with a stream near by and clear view of the sky. Now the hill is covered by trees but I can’t help but wonder if the church, the walls surrounding it, and the stone steps leading across the wall were not built on earlier structures with the happy accident of maintaining the original light lines.