The Arnish Moor Man
In 1964, a clothed body was found in the moors of Lewis, Scotland. The body was that of a young man, murdered in the early 1700s, where his clothes and belongings were preserved in the bog. Outside of a handful of articles, little is written or displayed about this man. This project focuses on bringing his life and death to modern audiences, and providing ways in which these hidden moments of history could be made tangible in the digital age.
This project will involve creating an immersive animated experience using projection, sound, and 3D printing.
Research articles suggest that the man's fate may be connected to a local tale from the area.
'Two youths attending the school at
Stornoway went to the moors on a birds'
nesting expedition. They quarrelled when
sharing out the spoil, and one of them
felled the other by a blow on the head
with a stone. When he realised that his
companion was dead he buried him, and
fled to Tarbert, Harris, whence he made his
way to the south and took up a seafaring life.
Many years afterwards his ship put into
Stornoway harbour and he went ashore,
probably intending to remain incognito.
But he was recognised, convicted of
murder, and hanged on Gallows Hill.'
-
Letter from the Stornoway Gazette, 4 July 1964.
The environment of Lewis has influenced the lives of the nature and people who live there. I visited Lewis to gather first-hand reference material of the landscape, and was struck by the variety of plants and colours on the moors, even in February.
Environmental storytelling
Concepts for this project have evolved over time and been influenced by the photographs I have taken at my time on Lewis. I have incorporated colour into my storyboards to capture the mood of this isolated location.
Wildlife and nature seem to be everywhere on the island. I'd like to convey moments of the story with both prey and predatory nature living on Lewis, and capture the drama of the weather, which changes rapidly.
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I recorded footage with Jackson Longstaff, a fellow graduate from HND Acting and Performance. In this I wanted to explore how these characters would move and behave crossing such a wide space, as well as how this initially calm scene broke down into violence.
3D Environments and Simulation
Tests to build the 3D environment and various plants, using xGen, Maya deformers, and Paint Effects with MASH.
