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Coisich, a Rùin

Coisich, a Rùin explores the relationship between architecture and nature, between evolution and erosion. It’s a film about the decline of the woollen industry in the Scottish Borders- a story of the workers, the vacant spaces left behind, the raves in these industrial sites rejected by society.

The film gets its name from a traditional Gaelic waulking song meaning “Come on, my love”.
Waulking is a dying cultural activity, a practice that involves a group of women rhythmically beating newly woven tweed against a table to soften it.

My film contains snippets of dialog from Rob, a 72 year old loomer whose worked in the mills since age 14. He talks of the abandoned “Heather Mill” where he once worked.

Built in 1871, it soon became one of the town's largest employers with over 200 workers. Heather Mill now lies dormant, a void in the town sitting silently beside the River Tweed.

By ‘collecting' snippets of people's experiences of life - memories, conversations, places, sounds, I acknowledged the constant flow of time, time that can’t be stopped, much like the River Tweed that continues to flow.

I experimented by taking sound recordings, becoming fascinated by the idea of "Absence and Presence" and how I could bring, or reenergize, this derelict non-space back to life using sound. My aim was to blur boundaries of time and evoke something that had been lost, which could be experienced through sound.

I created Coisich, a Rùin because I wanted to preserve these stories and memory’s. Whilst creating my film the mill was burnt down by two school boys.

  • Flora Litchfield
    Director
  • Flora Litchfield
    Writer
  • Flora Litchfield
    Producer
  • Robert
    Key Cast
    "Rob"
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Documentary, History, Scotland, Wollen Industry, Forgotten Places, Rave, Time, Memory
  • Runtime:
    8 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    May 1, 2019
  • Production Budget:
    50 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English, Scottish Gaelic
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Flora Litchfield

Young Scottish filmmaker, having recently graduated from Art College.

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Director Statement


Since my childhood, I have been drawn towards ruinous spaces. Having grown up in the Scottish Borders an area suffering from deindustrialization of its once-booming woollen industry, it is not rare to come across an abandoned factory or derelict building.

It could be said that these scars within the town create a stimulus for one's mind; by not only raising questions about the past but also about our potential futures, showing us a visible passage of time and the unavoidable collapse of society. This, in addition, reminds us of our own destiny and our vulnerable place within the world.