"In July 2011 we were invited back to the wonderful Studio in the Woods which was held again at New Barn Farm on the Isle of Wight. We began the 3 day workshop with no preconcieved ideas other than to build something inhabitable so for the first morning discussed ideas and roamed the farm to find a nice site.
Last year we scrambled up and down a steep slope in the scorching heat to make the Fire Folly, a 7m tall structure for snuggling around a fire at the top of the hill. This year, we scaled an even higher hill in the driving rain to place a structure on the highest point on the site. Despite the forecast of rain we were seduced by the summit and its sudden, surprising view over the Solent.
On the first day, while the weather stayed dry, we built 6 frames on the ground and approximately set out the front and largest frame towards the view, which turned out to be very wise because the next morning, we could bearly see our own hands in front of our faces. The frames were finished on the ground and then, starting from the smallest, put in place. As soon as there was anything to clad, part of the team began cladding the west elevation to offer some shelter against the horizontal rain.
By lunchtime, all six frames were standing up, the weather was clearing up, and the team were cheering up. After lunch it was cladding… Until the sun finally came out just in time to see the roof finish. It was decided some cross bracing was a good idea and then the final touch was a couple of steps at the back to allow littl’uns to climb in. Then, in the long awaited sunshine, as we danced around with glee… Ted Cullinan came to visit!
Ted remarked on how the spacing of the frames descreased as their scale increased and at how well constructed the thing was and we were all very pleased. We showed Ted how the Landscope framed the view of the Solent one way and last years’ Fire Folly the other; …how the structure was clad with the unwanted off-cuts of the other teams’ timbers and how the increasing-decreasing structure distorted the perspective and foreshortenned the structure making even us giants look wee. With everything done and dusted, the team made their way back down the hill leaving the Landscope to settle into it’s existence atop the highest hill on New Barn Farm. On the way home, we stopped off at the Fire Folly, from which we could just glimspe the Landscope looking the other way…"
