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This film explores the history of Ben Cruachan, which houses a hydro-electric power station in a vast chamber a mile beneath the surface of "the hollow mountain".

Master Rock relates to a new 43 minute piece for ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Radio 4, written by Irish writer Maria Fusco, first broadcast on Saturday 17 October 2015 at 10.15 pm.

Fusco's work is a 'repertoire for a mountain'. The mountain in question is Ben Cruachan. The highest peak on the west coast of Scotland, located in an unforgiving landscape. Conceived in the 1950s, Cruachan was the first power station of its kind, a marvel of post-war technology, and it was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II on October 15 1965.

The film is made from colour 35 mm film and black and white and colour stills from the 1960s - both official film and informal ‘family’ snapshots. It tells the story of the blasting out of the chamber inside the mountain, and the building of the power station, through the voice of an Irish labourer John Mulholland (played by the Irish actor Lalor Roddy). Mulholland is one of the few surviving witnesses to the heroic endeavour of tunnelling their way through the granite rock.

Fusing the lyric with the documentary, the film moves from the harsh setting in the mountains of Scotland, to the rough working conditions and the technological triumph of building the station. It is a testament to ambition; both of the engineers who had the imagination to conceive and design the project, and the workers who had the courage and skill to build it.

The film has a resonant soundtrack designed by French composer Olivier Pasquet, which amplifies the feeling of the viewer going deep inside the mountain. It was edited by Joanna Crickmay.

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