I journey to Scar House Reservoir today,the roads are windy and full of pot holes but it’s worth the trip.The damn was built in 1936 and took
15 years to complete. A small village was built on site to house the workers and their families as it was cheaper to accommodate them on site being so far out in the dales. There are still remnants of the buildings as you drive down the long road to get to the damn itself.
It is a real mix of weather sunshine, light wind and low cloud over the hills. Atmospheric to say the least!
The landscape is barren and the only textured marks are the dry stone walls that cut through and separate the sweeping hills. There are no trees which limits the amount of natural debris on the ground.
I notice that the stone debris from dry stone walls and foundations left from by gone buildings are encased in sphagnem moss. The environment is perfect for the growth of this moss it thrives on boggy water based land. The rain that runs off the hills is ideal for its survival and prevalence. The texture of the moss is spongy and its low growing habit and shallow roots make it easy to tear from the ground. It is gorgeous matter to hold in your hands! The encasing aspect interests me. Once the moss has grown over mounds of stone it is then no longer viewed, it is enveloped into the land, only a round form is visible.
I realize that the encased stones can be lifted out of the ground leaving a hollow imprint generated from the moss itself. These hollow forms are left where the stones once were, a remnant of their presence. My intervention has planted my own presence within this particular landscape. These cavities appear as a dark fixture against the green environment and visually appear like footprints.
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