Coracles & Nests
Local & International (ongoing)
An ongoing exploration into sustainable materials and coracles or nest forms as an offering to audiences in landscape
I’ve been fascinated by coracles for years and I think they are the perfect metaphor for a sustainable and creative way of living, I’m interested in them as a vehicle for an audience experience that allows one person at a time access to a space and a moment in which to be alone in the vastness of an epic landscape, and to consider their place in it all, building on my explorations with Raft, Chalk Coracle and The Future Wales Fellowship (Finding Common Ground).
Coracles are a truly sustainable and indigenous craft – found in many countries around the world they are used for fishing and transportation, and are made from locally sourced materials and with local techniques. Historically they are associated with spiritual pilgrimage – Irish monks travelled thousands of miles across the ocean in curraghs, a similar structure. Their design varies in each place to meet the particular demands of the watercourse the boat will be used on and the material they are made from. Their use dates back around 5000 years, possibly more- since the materials they are made from are fully biodegradable, earlier models will have returned to the soil by now, so we may never know how far their usage stretches back. Welsh coracles (Cwrwg or Cwrgwl) are typically made from willow, ash or hazel, with an animal hide cover, and are used on rivers for fishing and crossing. Irish curraghs are designed for sea-faring and have sailed as far as from Ireland to Newfoundland. In Iran, giant coracles (quffa) ferried goods and groups of people, and in Vietnam and India coracles are still used for transport, fishing, and river crossings. The little boats are notoriously difficult to control, and skill is needed to navigate through the waters, with the craft always at the mercy of where the current and tide wish to take it.
I am interested in the situation of the human in a craft that is beyond their control, surrendering to the whims of the tides and currents of the world around them, and in the nest-like shape of these rod-made boats of natural materials, which holds the human body safe and protected despite the challenges beyond.
My most recent coracle build (for the Future Wales Fellowship) uses local willow, and experiments with lime bast lashing, an elm bark mat, and a linen cover with pine resin and lanolin waterproofing. All of the materials have been sourced as locally as possible and processed by hand.
Going forward, I am designing a series of nests inspired by the coracle and my journeys with it, one each for Earth, Sea, and Sky. These will be more permanent additions to the landscape that invite audiences to deepen their relationship with each of those elements through spending time in the nest, in close physical contact with the Earth, Sea or Sky, but protected within the experience. Each nest will be a rich sensory experience that engages with the sounds, scent, and elemental movement of each space it inhabits.
