The Secret Howff is a hidden shelter in the Highlands of Scotland, known for being one of the few locations left whose grid reference is not online.
The Howff needed documenting before its inevitable discovery. To do so sensitively, I made an immersive web-based experience which hones in on my own experience of the place.
SCOPE
Narrative
Web design
Digital publication
BRIEF
In the 1950s, when people were starting to spend time in the Scottish hills for recreation, a hidden shelter was constructed on a Cairngorms estate. This became known as the Secret Howff. I stayed in it during a climbing trip, and upon returning felt the need to preserve the Howff before it is uncovered in the future.
However, the location of the Howff is a secret. The grid reference is not on the internet. How do I document this incredible place, without revealing where it is?
WORK
After revisiting the Howff and collecting research, it became clear that the only way of documenting it in a sensitive way was to hone in on my own experience.
I focussed on representing different aspects of my experience through photography and abstract animation, accompanied by narrative typography. These are then situated on an interactive, immersive website in which the user finds their own way through the content, mimicking the search many undertake to find the Secret Howff.
Link to site
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