The 'dream' £5k residency at Scottish isle standing stones during extraordinary lunar event

A residency to explore one of the most significant Neolithic monuments in Scotland with a £5,000 grant backing has opened for applications.

The unique opportunity is at the Calanais Stones, on the isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides.

The stones, which predate England’s Stonehenge, go back some 5,000 years and were an important place for ritual activity for at least 2,000 years.

The Calanais Standing Stones are an extraordinary cross-shaped setting of stones erected 5,000 years ago | Katharine Hay

Urras nan Tursachan (UnT), the trust that runs the Calanais visitor centre, will host the successful applicant. The residency is open to all disciplines, including artists, archaeologists, astrophysicists, researchers or storytellers.

The opportunity will last about two-and-a-half weeks around the time of the major lunar standstill, which is set to take place on June 12.

The sun rises behind the Calanais Standing Stones on the Isle Of Lewis. | ANDY BUCHANAN/AFP via Getty Images)

The major lunar standstill is when the northernmost and southernmost moonrise and moonset are furthest apart. According to researchers, the extraordinary natural phenomenon only happens every 18.6 years.

The UnT advert said: “We encourage projects exploring the astronomical, archaeological, cultural, or artistic significance of Calanais.”

The residency is supported by a £5,000 grant. This includes £750 for travel, paid-for accommodation, £50 a day for living expenses, plus materials and support to create a Calanais legacy piece, which could be anything from an exhibition to educational materials to a research publication.

The successful applicant will also be asked to engage with the public via two workshops and a talk or another type of event during the residency.

Calanais is world famous for marking the moon’s major standstill.

At this time, when viewed from the northern end of the standing stones, the full moon’s path from rising to setting means that it appears to skim across the horizon, which UnT said was shaped like a woman lying on her back – the ‘Cailleach Na Mointeach’, or ‘Old Woman of the Moors’. The moon then disappears from view briefly before shining into the centre of the circle at the southern end of the Calanais monument as it sets.

It is believed the design of the monument at Calanais was deliberately changed, probably around 2500 BC, to re-orientate the structure so it was aligned on this remarkable lunar event.

The residency is partially funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.