Calanais: Still in Motion
Calanais: aite-tàimh, àite-tàlaidh
A collaboration between multidisciplinary performance artist Freya Pellie and space scientist turned filmmaker Dr Jonathan Doyle, Calanais: Still in Motion is the output of the inaugural Calanais Residency. Commissioned to capture the significance of the Calanais Standing Stones during the major Lunar Standstill in June 2025, Calanais: Still in Motion is an intersection of science and folklore.
Informed by the sites themselves, social observations, conversations with those met along the way, and research across fields, the work centres around Calanais as a gathering place through the ages: drawing people from near and far, each with their own reasons and meaning.
Rather than seeking to capture the stones alone, as one might hope for in a visiting photograph, the work focuses on the human element of such sites, both
serving as a reminder of and encouraging curiosity in the people that built them, used them, and continue to draw inspiration from them.
This collection comprises a short film and poem, as well as a series of photographic images which capture some of the themes explored in the residency and the stories found along the way.
Created in residency for Urras nan Tursachan, supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
LED Equipment provided by Firetoys; Additional support from Sony.
On display in An Lanntair’s Café Bar
Kenneth Street, Stornoway, United Kingdom, HS1 2DS
