- Location: Lochside, St Fillans PH6 2NF
- Opening times: 24 hours
- Entry: Free
- Access: Free roadside parking
I was blissfully oblivious that the sculpture Still, known locally as the Mirror Man, resided in the waters of Loch Earn, just off the shore at St. Fillans, between 2014 – 2017, but it was impossible to avoid its return to that spot in March 2025. Practically every Scottish media outlet reported its reinstallation, and it appeared persistently in my Facebook feed via the various Scottish interest groups I am a member of.
It also cropped up in Annie’s FB feed as well, and she too expressed an interest in seeing it, both to see the sculpture itself and to revisit St. Fillans, where her family holidayed every year during her childhood and early teen summers. So, on a gloriously sunny April Fool’s Day, the first true shorts-and-t-shirt day of the year, we headed east into Perthshire. It was well worth the trip; Still possesses a quiet magnificence all its own, and St. Fillans and Loch Earn both looked simply gorgeous.
Still is the creation of Scottish sculptor Rob Mulholland, whose work appears throughout his native land as well as in France, Germany, Mexico, Korea, and Taiwan, amongst others. He has also been a featured artist at the Glastonbury Festival. To quote the information board, “Still symbolises the physical and spiritual relationship between humans and the natural world”, a theme common to much of Mulholland’s art. “The solitary figure stands still and passive at the head of Loch Earn, silently bearing witness to the ever-changing environment”.
According to various media outlets, the figure was removed by its “mystery owner” in 2017 and its return made possible by local volunteer group St. Fillans in Bloom, who, along with Take a Pride in Perth and Kinross, fundraised to purchase and repair the sculpture, before restoring it to what now must be forever considered its rightful place.
Destination or Diversion?
Still is a diversion, but if the weather is on your side can be combined with a lazy day at the loch shore. It also forms part the BLiSS Trail of Art and Architectural Installations, a trail linking the villages of Balquidder, Lochearnhead, St. Fillans, and Strathyre (thus BLiSS), so perhaps a visit to Still can be combined with a visit to some or all the other pieces on the trail.
A couple of ‘still lifes’, taken in the local shop. The items on the left aren’t for sale, but those on the right are presumably favourites with the camping and caravanning crowd.
