Slate | Garrochar Twist
Garrochar Twist is one of the earliest sculptures in my portfolio and the first work in which I explored the double helix as a sculptural form. It predates DNA of a Dancer, Vortex and Column; all slate works that continue this investigation into the spiral and the double helix through increasingly dynamic expressions.
As with much of my work, the inspiration came from the natural world. The double helix is not approached here as scientific illustration, but as an evolved form whose balance and inevitability feel instinctively right. In Garrochar Twist, the rotation is gentle and continuous, with the mass distributed evenly so the sculpture feels composed and stable from every angle.
The piece takes its name from the Garrochar Hill in Scotland, close to where the slate was obtained. Early versions were made using slate reclaimed from Scottish roofs, a material with a previous life, shaped and stacked to give the form its steady, rhythmic turn. Over time, the sculpture has been revisited and subtly refined, while retaining the same underlying proportions and sense of calm authority.
Garrochar Twist has been realised in a small number of distinct contexts. An early example was commissioned for the opening of the Glenlivet Distillery extension in 2010, responding directly to the commission brief and incorporating a commemorative plaque as part of the work’s setting. Other versions have been installed in private gardens, including an Edinburgh garden where the sculpture sits as a centrepiece, positioned so it can be experienced from multiple viewpoints as the path winds around it. A later iteration is shown at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, executed in Welsh slate and reflecting a more refined handling of the form while remaining faithful to its original intent.
Pictured here at approximately 130 centimetres high, Garrochar Twist demonstrates the adaptability of the form across materials, settings and moments in time. The sculpture can be created at smaller or slightly larger scales and remains a foundational work, marking the beginning of a sculptural language that continues to evolve through later pieces, but is already fully present here.
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