The Spirit of the Hebrides

By Cathy Bain

All these inspirational elements both ancient, historical, and new are a celebration of the Spirit of the Hebrides, its icons, its history, and its people.

The story that sums up the Highlands and Islands for me are the beautiful icons of the Hebrides that inspired the design and creation of a chair out of a whisky barrel which we called `The Spirit of the Hebrides`. Living most of my life in the Lowlands the islands remain my home, this chair is a celebration of the most famed of these icons.

The staves at the back of the chair represent the mythical and majestic Neolithic Callanish stones. A remnant of prehistoric religious activity or an astronomical observatory that does not cease to inspire and fascinate visitors today.

The seat is imprinted with the mysterious archaeological treasures of the famed Lewis chessmen which were uncovered on the sands of Ùig beach on the Isle of Lewis (Eilean Leòdhais) in 1831. They were believed to have travelled across the seas from Norway in the early 13th century.

The Spirit of the Hebrides seat print, inspired by the Lewis Chessman
Image provided by Cathy Bain

The chair staves take their inspiration from the Neolithic Callanish stones
Image provided by Cathy Bain

The Spirit of the Hebrides, exhibited with a barrel and local gins and whisky
Image provided by Cathy Bain

Inside the Spirit of the Hebrides hidden cupboard
Image provided by Cathy Bain

The glass stand is turned from wood sourced in the Stornoway Castle grounds. These outstanding woodlands contain a varied and rich collection of trees, a rarity on the island.

The whole chair is covered in the world-renowned Harris Tweed and fashioned into a kilt at the front. A cloth whose smell so distinct transports me back to my youth where I made the bobbins in my father’s loom shed where he created the big tweed 'an clò-mòr'. A cloth whose rich history is woven into the landscape, its heritage, and a people`s struggle.

The first chair we made won an award and was sourced from the Abhainn Dearg whisky distillery in Ùig. Inside the cupboard under the kilt is stored a bottle of Abhainn Dearg uisge beatha, a bottle of the famed Harris Gin and Barra Gin, hidden as these spirits would have been during the dry years on some parts of the island. Today in contradiction these distilleries are a thriving industry bringing tourists to the island.

All these inspirational elements both ancient, historical, and new are a celebration of the Spirit of the Hebrides, its icons, its history, and its people.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE SPIRIT OF THE HEBRIDES ON MIKE AND CATHY'S WEBSITE HERE

The Award-Winning Spirit of the Hebrides piece
Image provided by Cathy Bain

Cathy and the Spirit of the Hebrides
Image provided by Cathy Bain

EXPLORE MORE STORIES FROM THE OUTER HEBRIDES