It’s the business of a heritage centre to note the passing of time so we thought we’d record it in a pinhole photograph. Back in June when the North Walls Community School came up to the Hoy Kirk to celebrate the installation of their beautiful stained glass window, we installed a Solarcan pinhole camera. Between 5 June and 5 September the photographic paper has recorded the sun’s movement (and even the scaffolding erected for the kirk restoration).

How does it work? A tiny hole in a can acts as a lens letting light fall on a piece of photographic paper in a long exposure solargraph that captures the sun’s path. The photographic paper is then scanned and inverted to give a positive image of what the Hoy Kirk has witnessed over the 3 months.

Here is the negative image on the paper.

Pupils of North Walls Community School admire the window they designed with artist Carole Robinson on the day the Solarcan was installed. The project was supported by OIC Culture Fund.

Thank you to the Cloud Appreciation Society for the gift of the Solarcan.

We look forward to welcoming you back to Hoy Heritage Centre at Hoy Kirk following the restoration work.