We (Amulet, Isaac + Joseph) were delighted to spend two weeks in April 2026 at Knockvologan, writing music about the granite quarries on the Ross of Mull. We were interested in exploring the way that extraction had shaped the landscape of the Ross as well as the social and economic history. We were interested in the idea of monumentality; in the romantic dichotomy between landscape and people; and in the way that stone that we knew in the buildings of Glasgow was given new meaning in its place of origin.

One of the lovely things about the residency at Knockvologan was how open and enthusiastic Miek and Rutger were about the project, not just conceptually but practically, in their desire to connect us with people within the local community. From before we even arrived they suggested people who may be good to talk to for their knowledge and insight about the granite. This proved to be the key to developing our practice over the two weeks and we had an incredibly sociable experience on the Ross.

We spoke to a range of people who had a connection to the granite including geologists, stone masons, conservationists and people who had lived on the Ross for many years, sometimes many generations. Everyone we spoke to was incredibly generous with their time and knowledgeable in so many different ways about where they lived. It was a privilege to help bring these different forms of knowledge together.

Something that we were conscious of in our thinking about the rock was the pattern that existed between the historical extraction of granite and the contemporary extraction of cultural products that we were engaging in. We were thinking a lot about what it meant to enter a community and learn from it and create art about it in a way that didn’t feel extractive. This was something that we spoke about with Miek and Rutger. We decided that being led as much as possible by the knowledge of local people and emphasising the source of this knowledge would be the best way to honour the community. As a result we ended up including the sounds of the Ross, its landscape and community, their voices and words, in the music that we made.

Day to day, our residency consisted of many social visits, walking around the quarries with people or else visiting them in their homes or places of work. Each person we met suggested a whole range of other people we should contact and in that way the residency mapped itself out before us very quickly, with little effort. Beside this we spent a lot of time rambling in the beautiful surroundings of Tireragan, cooking large meals, discussing our thoughts and reflections and occasionally playing music. 

Everywhere we went, after the initial discussion of the rock, the conversation often seemed to turn to music. We were gifted many beautiful melodies, tunes and suggestions by the people we spoke to, and as the residency went on it seemed that these were some of the most memorable and significant encounters we had. As a result it only felt right to include them in the final work. 

We ended our time at Knockvologan performing a beautiful show in the barn overlooking the sun setting on Iona. It was a privilege to perform for the people who had made our time there what it was. To bring people together to reflect the landscape they inhabit and their relationship with it.

In our time since we left Knockvologan, I have been thinking a lot about the residency; about what it means to connect with a place; about how effective community is built and maintained. Often I find myself in spaces where art is praised as powerful and transformative for communities, often I find these conversations can feel a bit hollow. I can truly say that Knockvologan is a space in which that feels true. Miek and Rutger do incredible work, as a part of the residency and beyond it to provide space that allows people to come together and think about where they live. It was incredibly special to be a part of that lineage.

I. Iona Prelude
[synthesised waves, the melody of the song AC sang to us whilst we waited for the ferry at Baile Mòr, guitar and synth]

II. Rock Music
[JF reads his mum’s intro to the granite, synths and drones, waves and dripping caves at Knockvologan beach, the wind through the Erraid observatory, bubbling porridge on the stove, squelching bogmud in Tormore quarry, celery snapping in the kitchen, the kettle boiling, stomping on rocks at St Columba’s Bay and Tormore pier, whistling in Michael’s Chapel at Iona Abbey, singing the hymn’s melody from the top of Tormore new quarry, water streaming down the pebbled path to Knockvologan beach, gentle waves at Camas, birds and bees outside the studio, guitar and synth, JG reads Robert Louis Stephenson’s portrait of Erraid, JF reads a statement of industrial intent, guitar and granite castanets, rust falling inside the struck canister at Tormore new quarry, JM + AM repairing the granite wall on Erraid, chiselling granite at Tormore, JG reads from the Oban Times, JF splitting rocks at Tormore, us splitting rocks at Tormore, the hymn sung through the canister at Tormore, rocks break]

III. Folk Music
[us reflecting on what’s missing, “it’s supposed to be fun”, John Henry + The Claw, John Henry playing from JF’s phone at Tormore, us and JF talking in the quarry]

IV. Iona Coda
[AC’s melody again, synth + guitar, fading]

V. Hymn For the Ross
[all together now, MZ’s expression of a desire to sing, JF+JG’s wonder at past feats, PS’s appreciation of the granite’s confrontational jutting, JF+JG’s observation of worsening storms, RE’s risk of burnout, SM’s description of a continual community in shared geography, DF’s generosity, JM’s generosity, JF’s generosity, JG’s generosity, MZ+RE’s generosity, the love of the Ross]