ROSNES BENCH : (PUBLIC ARTWORK), Dumfries & Galloway

A permanent work for the vast and diverse landscape of Dumfries & Galloway Forrest. 30 recumbent benches positioned over 12 sites afford the user an alternative way to experience each location: sounds are more immersive, visually one engages with the complex tree canopies above that are stirred by wind and populated by busy tribes of birds and insects, or tune into immense sky-scapes and their slow motion march towards the horizon. The benches slow us down, create stillness and change our viewpoint, helping us to reengage with what has become habitual and matter of fact to us. The form of the bench evokes a long history of objects designed around the human form, they also acknowledge the history of the deliberate placing and siting of objects within the landscape, from cup and ring marks on constellations of recumbent stones across the whole of Europe and beyond, to contemporary cairns marking high summit points throughout our hills. To visit the benches is to visit a variety of special places, where the benches act as a conduit between the visitor and the sensorial resources of the location.