The Screaming Heads of Midlothian Castle
A Sculpture Park full "Concrete Poetry"

by Fida Wild

Peter Camani, creator of the Screaming Heads - a sculptor, painter, farmer, martial arts expert, teacher and film producer - must be a poet too. How else could he have created his Fields of Dreams, - a sculpture park of "concrete-poetry"?

The sheer effort in sculpting his giants must involve some muscle power as well, where, I am sure, his experience and endurance as a marathon runner must come in handy.

His Midlothian Castle and Sculpture Garden in a park-like setting near Burk's Falls, Ontario, are proof of all his talents combined.

He transformed the 19th-century derelict farmhouse into a fantasy castle complete with medieval dungeons and fire-breathing dragons, lions and Guardian Angels who protect castle and land.

Three friendly looking busts, sitting separately on a wall, are his interpretation of "hear, see, and speak no evil."

When you enter through the massive spider web gate, you find yourself in a different world. Giant Screaming Heads, a forest consisting of concrete trees, a pond with emerging horsemen, trapped in giant spider nets and hands sticking out of the ground that seem to support the silent screams of the disc-like skulls as if to say: "No further. Think first before you continue to destroy nature."

Story Time

Meandering through the Enchanted Forest and looking at the trees, they change with every step you take. It's brilliant how he placed the sculptures in a way that they seem to change their position depending where you stand. They suddenly form a heart or seem to resemble giant dancing pommel horses, embracing and melting into each other, or taking on a different form of a Screaming Head.

Mythical Art

When Camani acquired approx. 300 acres just outside Burk's Falls, he had only a vague idea where this adventure would take him. He needed an empty canvas that would allow his eccentric mind and overbearing imagination get loose, and create a strange, unique and very unusual art environment populated with overwhelming concrete sculptures - a modern-day Stonehenge, really. "If I had seen from the beginning how it was going to end, I would have just gone traveling," he said at one point.

Fields of Screaming Heads

His idea of art is coupled with permanence. "To this end, the emphasis is on art for all to see and interact with on a permanent basis, art which cannot be stolen, bought, or otherwise hidden from the eyes of the world".

Being an art teacher for 35 years at the Almaguin Highlands Secondary School of Sundridge, Ontario, provided him with the means to live without having to sell out his art. It gave him the freedom to create and work on his exceptional outdoor gallery.

Willpower, though, must be another of his talents. I just can't imagine where he got that boundless energy to create such a huge body of work after a full day at school. Not only was concentration needed, it also involved heavy physical work! I am sure he could have made a living as a painter, since his paintings are hanging in such prestigious places as the Buckingham Palace and the Vatican.

Fields of Dreams

Aerial View of Midlothian Castle

Looking at those screaming heads Edvard Munch, the Norwegian painter of "The Scream" comes inevitably to mind. But he says his inspiration came from an aerial photograph of his property. The settlers cleaned the land - knowingly or unknowingly is not clear - in form of a dragon. His own love for Druids and their belief in duality as well as the view over his property in winter gave him the idea to create what he did and still does.

Framed by Ontario’s blast
of fall colours

The huge opening for the mouth has a practical benefit, dictated by the weight of the concrete. Too much wind resistance would break those giants in the harsh Northern Ontario Winters.

Unfortunately I was there on rainy afternoon. I'll have to visit again because I can imagine how the rays of a setting or rising sun or the outrageously beautiful fall colors of Northern Ontario transform this stunning structural garden into a mystical place.

Eternal Plan

Camani's Eternal Plan fits right in with his message of environmental degradation. At one point, we will all die. So, why not become a part of an artistic creation? "Why settle for a small underground plot in the suburbs when you have the option of joining a vibrant creation that fills the landscape? Each Screaming Head, weighing 20 tons, will have its own nameplate proclaiming a brief biography of the person incorporated in the monolith, and eternal commemoration for the individual therein."

I do not know if there is still a free head for your ashes.

Photos: Courtesy of Peter Camani

Good to Know

Address
Peter Camani
Midlothian Ridge, RR# 1
Burk's Falls, Ontario, Canada, P0A 1C0
1-(705) 382-6413
Send Peter an email

How to get there

276 km north of Toronto
105 km south of North Bay

Take Hwy 11 to Burk's Falls and then Hwy 520 toward Magnetawan.

View Screaming Heads of Midlothian Ridge in a larger map

Open
His property can be visited at all times. Enter at your own risk.

Peter Camani's Film
Film Witch Way
ProducerPeter Camani, Director: Dallas Boyes
For a preview click here.

Video/DVD, TV

Peter Camani has been portrayed by TV and the written media. VisionTV produced the documentary "Driven by Vision" that can be purchased as a DVD called "Shrines and Homemade Holy Places" where he is featured among other outsider artists.

Accommodations

You find many motels along Highway 11; but there are also a few little hidden gems close to Peter Camani's Sculpture Park:

Burk's Falls - Pickerel Lake Lodge Resort: Click here for reviews, prices and packages

Magnetawan - Woodland Echoes Resort: Click here for reviews, deals and packages

Magnetawan: Quiet Bay Log Motel Check out their website

Gravenhurst Hotels: Search over 30 bocking sites for the best rates
Huntsville Ontario Hotels: Search for the best hotel rates on over 30 booking sites
North Bay Ontario Hotels: Search for the best rates on over 30 booking sites

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What an Idea The way you describe it, it must have taken some effort to make this park. And those fall colors look so beautiful.

Have you seen the rock garden of ...

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The Screaming Heads of Midlothian CastleA Sculpture Park full "Concrete Poetry"