There’s not a lot of outdoor art here on Orkney – I don’t know why I had expected it, maybe because another island community, Iceland, had loads of it (it’s one of the first things I fell in love with in Iceland). But maybe the Orcadians (quite rightly) think their Neolithic standing stones, cairns, and broches are artistry enough?
Last week my walking group headed out towards the edge of town, towards a mound of what I thought was waste land. But we circled around some paths, and came into a clearing with a huge dragon’s head mounted on some rocks in the middle. It seems it’s the work of the local car dealership owner/artisan – I believe it’s going to be part of a bigger installation in the future. On the picture on the right, you can see a metal spider climbing up the back of the skull; on top those are mice or more likely, Orkney voles – we have our own, you know; and in the eye holes are little nests, all made of beaten metal. It is very impressive – I think COVID pushed the work back – I hope whatever it is will be finished before I leave.
Speaking of monsters: there are dozens of doggy-waste bins all over Kirkwall and many have been renamed. Orkney has definitely rallied behind Ukraine – there are blue & yellow flags & posters all over town; local school kids have been painting flags on stones and leaving about; the islands have volunteered to house a number of displaced families; and most importantly, thousands of pounds of money & goods are being donated every week.
Beautiful walk. I cant wait to do it with you some day. Love the doggy waste bins!!
The door’s always open (well, not literally – I mean, it’s too windy for that) – but seriously – any time you want to tour the islands – LMK!