25th May 2002. Projection of film made whilst living in Sonny’s hut, onto an 8ft by 8ft floating projection screen moored on Carbeth Swimming Pond. The film seeks to depict the transition from nature to culture, hearth fire to gas fire.
At the end of my residency I organized an evening by the derelict swimming pool, inviting the inhabitants of the huts to come along and watch a film I had shot whilst living in Sonny’s hut. I chose the site of the pool, as few people now remember its original purpose, many supposing it to be an over grown pond. In its day, the pool was used for swimming galas during the summer months attracting not only the hutters but also people from the surrounding communities. The redundant pool now stands as a symbol of the decline the huts have gone through rather than the social explosion of the 20’s and 30’s.
However, the hutting community that remains is proud of their heritage and on the evening of the 25th, they came out in force, helping to build a large bonfire near the pool and as we sat, drank, sang and watched the gas lamps throbbing on the still water, the red glow of Glasgow could be seen in the distance.
”A million miles fae reality, twenty minutes fae the hoose”
Hugh Healey, poet and hutter.