Finding Home through Dry-Steen Dykin

Dry-steen dyker, Alexis Zafiropoulos, speaks of coming to Scotland and his journey learning the intangible cultural practice of building walls without mortar. Learning from local dykers and from the land itself, Alexis speaks on the tradition and on developing a sense of belonging in the North-East through practising this ancient and sustainable craft.

Biography

Lumsden-based Alexis Zafiropoulos works, plays, experiments, and innovates in craft and artistic stonemasonry, sharing and celebrating it in North-East Scotland and beyond. His specialism is in dry stone walling and he is a professional member of the Dry Stone Walling Association of Great Britain.

By learning from others, tuning into his intuition and developing the ability to listen to the stones, Alexis has overcome health problems, developed a sustainable livelihood, and helped support human and non-human communities through this natural building practice. His Churchill Fellowship Report, based on his experiences in Japan and beyond (Community Stoneworkers: Creative Dry Stone Construction for All), examines how the wellbeing of people and the planet can benefit greatly by co-operatively building and learning together outdoors, reviving and developing skills which work in harmony with people and places by revealing our innate creative nature.

Using skill-sharing workshops, artistic interventions, collaborations with other environmental workers, social practitioners, and landowners or users, Alexis and other community stoneworkers hope to mobilise to help build a better future for all.