Located on the rocks behind the Taigh Chearsabhagh Museum and Arts Centre in Lochmaddy (North Uist) High Tide Low Tide is an art installation by Christine Boshier built on site over a period of a month in 2000, with the help of pupils from Lochmaddy School. Created as part of Scotland's Year of the Artist 2000, it was also one of the artworks commissioned in conjunction with the extension of the Taigh Chearsabhagh centre. The structure comprises a steel frame covered in concrete, which is set with particles of glass to resemble salt crystals and reflect sunlight. The hollow interior is filled with salt, which is drawn out by the sea at high tide through a small opening. The emphasis on salt reflects the production of this material at Taigh Chearsabhagh to preserve herring which were landed in Lochmaddy between the 17th and the 19th C. The fish were packed with salt in barrels for export to Scandinavia and Russia. Boshier wanted to reflect the history of the building together with its proximity to the sea with its dramatic tidal surges.
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