Ospreys once ruled the skies over Scotland, but the mindless pursuit of poachers, egg hunters and skin collectors forced these apex predators (Ospreys are capable of carrying fish equal to their own size) from the country. They were absent for forty years, from the First World War until 1950, when the area around Loch Garten in the Cairngorms National Park was recolonised, naturally, by returning migratory birds travelling from east Africa. Intersections with Ospreys: Migrating, Mating and Meeting engages with both the vast migratory patterns of the Osprey, and the local ground, sky and tree-top conditions of the forests of Loch Garten (some of the last fragments of the ancient Caledonian forest) to provide new spaces for this species to roost.
This thickened space, between ground and sky, forms the basis of an architecture that accommodates radical swings in occupation through time; it is an architecture of migrations and meetings. The body movements of the Osprey, its hunting gestures and habitat generate spaces for shading and sheltering, creating an architecture that accommodates the changing seasons. Labs monitor the Ospreys, and preserve the surrounding ecosystem to enhance, protect, and preserve species diversity. Libraries and bedrooms for visitors allow people to study and settle with and around the birds. Sheltered terraces provide opportunities for hides, hives and nests. Together, these interspetial spaces remind us of the fundamental interconnections required for the survival of human and non-human species alike.
