Memories of school days cast in stone at KGS

A time capsule carrying mementos from a typical school day has been buried within a stone wall at Kirkwall Grammar School.

The project has been supported by money earmarked for public art initiatives as part of Orkney Islands Council’s Schools Investment Programme, and from additional funds granted by the local LEADER scheme and OIC’s arts development service.

Sculptor John Cumming, engineers Steve Husband and drystone dyker Kevin Shaw have been at work on the installation, visible as you approach the main school entrance, since early February.

A number of items were gathered from each department at the school sealed inside a recycled slate kist and secured into place with the wall. Objects included a 3D printed cupcake, a scientific calculator, everyday objects like pens and pencils, a computer mouse, and a master key to the old school.

The installation also includes a giant field stone, which weighed around 1.25 tonnes, bears the carved hand print of the school’s youngest pupil, Reece Byers.

Over coming days, three wooden spheres of greenheart – an extremely dense and durable wood used in the construction of piers and harbours up until concrete and steel took over as materials of choice – will be put in place in visible kists within the wall, and the wall capped off. The three spheres will bear markings reminiscent of both Orkney’s Neolithic carvings and the contemporary Ba’.