Machrie Moor Observatory rediscovers the earthly cosmological world our ancestors made and recalls a way of seeing nature through imagination. Standing stones have connected the sky and the underworld. It was built around 5000 years ago. Humans buried dead bodies and various tools underground at that time. Stone circles provide us with the opportunities to celebrate the summer solstice as our ancestors did. In this place, people can have opportunities to commune with nature in a peat bog, riparian woodland, and fen. These places where different realms meet have created rich and valuable habitats and became themes for imaginative mythology. The places have many narratives in the relations between the sun and moon, light and shadow, and water flow and the moon movement. This project enhances biodiversity and the natural systems storing water and carbon and preserves the historic archive in the peat.
It is thought that the stone circles were made to be aligned with the summer solstice sunrise above the glen. Firstly, a light tunnel made of weathering steel is installed at the entrance of the site. It is designed to be filled with the light on the summer solstice. Cave-like stone entrance of this tunnel imitates prehistoric cairns around the site and expresses the entrance of another world. In the bog zone, visitors can enjoy wildlife and stones. The path line represents the flow of water. In the transitional zone, the path line represents the moon's path and connects to the moon-shaped pool utilizing saturated water. Finally, the path connects to the riparian woodland and a wooden terrace to interact with water and wildlife inhabiting there.
In the future, this area can be more wet and inaccessible to humans. The proposed timber circle at the highest point is a new gathering place to keep connections between humans and this special place. The timber circles were built by prehistoric people along with stone circles. Some archaeologists think timber circles were used for dead because timber is a finite object. A timber circle has an opposite meaning against a stone circle for life. The timber circle is composed of fifteen timbers to express the full moon cycle and is designed to be aligned with the sunset at the summer solstice and the sunrise at the winter solstice so that this circle will be used for celebrations for an end of the summer solstice, an end of the year cycle and a new beginning of a cycle.
