The Clootie Wells
by Christi MacPherson
This is the first chapter in a long term series of documentary/landscape images that examine the Celtic phenomenon of Clootie Wells. These are ancient sacred wells found in Scotland, Ireland and the Isle of Man.
The supposedly healing wells have been in use for thousands of years and the objects left there speak volumes of the people who left them there and of the psychology of illness. From gallows humour to grief to hope; when looked at through the lens, the wells show the full spectrum of our hopes and fears for our health and the tug of war between modern and ancient belief systems.
Through his work on this ongoing project, Christi is examining the psychology of the wells, taking into account his own significant health battles which eventually led him to take part in the ritual of leaving a "cloot", or cloth, there himself; following in the footsteps of generation upon generation of fellow human beings who had used these wells before him.
You can find out much more about the project at:
https://www.christi.photography/the-clootie-wells
https://www.christi.photography/the-clootie-wells
