June, 2007

Chapter House, Elgin Cathedral, Elgin, Grampian

TOUCHSTONES

The passage of time – the wear of stone, carved by water, wind and human presence – is what I first saw in the Elgin Cathedral. This idea of time is an underlying thesis in much of my work in Scotland. Man builds, carves and decorates with stone. Time, weather and the presence of humans wear down the assembled stone. Much of what remains visible through history is built of stone. Yet even these massive stone monuments fall into ruin with the passage of time.

The first Elgin Cathedral (built in the 13th century) was burned down by the Wolf of Badenoch (a.k.a. Alexander Stewart, son of King Robert II of Scotland). It was rebuilt and expanded over the next two centuries. During the Reformation it was abandoned and gradually fell into ruin. During the 19th century some attempts were made to restore and preserve the building. Today the footprint of the cathedral is plainly visible although only the entrance with its two attached towers, a portion of the west tower and the Chapter house remain. I was most interested in the latter, one of only two remaining in Scotland today.

The Chapter house roof is intact, with large windows filling the octagonal room with light. It is a bright space and must have been a pleasant place to conduct the business of the church. There are benches built into the walls, surrounded by carved mortuary symbols, the kind you find on tombstones. For several days I worked in and around this cathedral photographing the entrance, the towers and the Chapter house, trying to figure out what was calling to me in this space.

I wondered what the space was like 500 years ago when the monks and priests conducted the rituals of the church. What a long time ago that was. And yet the cathedral was only in use for a relatively short time, maybe three to four hundred years. Time, the passage of time. How could I show this passage of time? The carvings on the tombs, the missing walls, the rubble that remains – they all imply the passing of time. On my way out of the Chapter house I noticed a small alcove off to the left, another small dark room with only a tiny window for light. It wasn’t the room, however, that caught my eye – it was the threshold into the room.

I didn’t have a flight of steps similar to Evan’s famous “Sea of Steps” image but I had one worn down lintel. I got down on the floor and looked at the step from ground level. Here was my photograph of Elgin Cathedral. I placed the 5x12 camera on the floor with a normal (300mm) lens, focused and calculated the exposure. I made several exposures because people walked through the image (although none left a ghost presence).

Here was an image of the passage of time. The hardness of the lintel was worn down by the feet of untold monks, creating a soft curve of stone on top, the face of the stone manifested with marks like some ancient hieroglyphics. The passage of time made visible..