The Quarrymen

Driving a country road in Orivesi…some of my best stories start that way. Nearly every summer we spend time in Orivesi, in the southern part of Finland. Even and especially in this strangest of summers, I was drawn home. As we drove around outside town, through a quiet dark forest, I was looking for inspiration. It doesn’t always make itself so obvious, but there was a steady clanging sound, piercing the otherwise silent scenery. I followed the noise and came upon a hole in the ground. Inside this huge hole, there were men working, as small and busy as carpenter ants from my perch. There was no way I wouldn’t end up down there. This is how I found my next project: The Quarrymen. This slate quarry in the woods of Orivesi has been owned by the same family for nearly 40 years. Each summer, 20 or more hardworking men and women work mostly by hand, with tools and techniques – simple but not easy -that have been used for generations. While the sound brought me to the quarry, the grand, rugged scenery, the deep jagged walls and the uncomplicated beauty of people working hard and skillfully with their hands, made me stay.