Can stone become wood?
CAIRNS: MELDING NATURE, BEAUTY AND FUNCTION
Have you seen or built a rock cairn? The word comes from Gaelic “càrn,” meaning “heap of stones.” Human-built stacked rock creations, both small and massive, are scattered across the globe – spanning ancient European, Asian and South American cultures. Norse cairn builders created the stone stacks to help navigate fjords before there were lighthouses. Other cairns were erected to mark burial sites, for ceremonial purposes, to locate buried valuables or to denote trails.
Ancient cairn way marker in Iceland
Stone cairns on Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands
Contemporary markers often are built by today’s hikers to guide those who come after them along a pathway – or simply say “I was here.”
Though some conservationists oppose the building of new cairns, especially in unspoiled natural places, the appeal of cairns persists.
Strike a balance, leave an enduring sign, point the way forward – a cairn can do all these.
INSPIRED BY STONE, CRAFTED IN WOOD
Wooda’s modern furniture interpretation of this form is seen in our Cairn collection.
Made entirely of wood, the elements create a visual and functional balance that surprises and intrigues. Designer Alvaro Uribe says, “Our hope is that in an increasingly fast-paced life, this collection makes us stop and inspires us to find balance and wonder in those elements that make up our lives.”
