During one of the pandemic lockdowns, in a former Victorian quarry on Selsley Common, families and children created a fabulous menagerie of prehistoric creatures, leading to the area becoming known as ‘dinosaur valley’, even being marked on Google Maps, writes Simon Pizzey.
Over time the stones became dispersed and re-used and in May last year a spiral appeared, lovingly created from hundreds loose stones in the same quarry, leaving walkers and visitors puzzled as to its origin and purpose.
Stroud Times tracked down its creator, Vittoria Immortelle from Minchinhampton, and asked her why she chose the location and its meaning.
“Selsley Common was not a place I selected in a conventional way. On March 29th 2025, I woke at 3:33am, from a vivid and unmistakable dream in which I saw the Spiral already formed on Selsley Common, in a precise location. I hadn’t been there for over eight years, yet the image was exact, the placement, the atmosphere, the feeling of the land.
“I followed that clarity and walked to the Common every day for three weeks, two hours there, two hours back. Before placing a single stone, I spent a week simply being there, walking, sitting, and attuning to the land.
“Over the following two weeks, with some support from friends, the Spiral came into being, exactly as it had shown itself in the dream. The Spiral now sits in a place that feels both natural and inevitable within the landscape. Selsley Common holds a powerful and open quality. It is elevated, expansive, and already deeply loved by the local community.
“Since then, the work has continued to unfold, through the presence of the Spiral, the writing, the community, and the growing recognition of the space as something meaningful and needed.
“There is no right way to engage with the Spiral. People are invited simply to walk it. To take their time. To notice what they feel. Many people find that as they move through it, their pace slows naturally, their thoughts quieten, and something more grounded begins to emerge. Others come to sit, to reflect, to meet others, or to bring their families. The Spiral is open and inclusive. A space for presence, for connection, and for whatever each person brings with them in that moment.
“I live in Minchinhampton, which allows me to remain in close relationship with the land and the community around the Spiral.
“I’ve named it ‘Spira del Leone Aureo’ (Spiral of the Golden Lions) and it is part of my wider body of work, The Global Spiral™: a living, evolving series of Timeless Living Monuments™ created with the land across the world. I create Spirals as spaces for people to reconnect, with themselves, with the land, and with a deeper sense of belonging. In a time where life moves quickly and often pulls us away from that connection, the Spiral offers something very simple and very needed: a place to slow down, to connect, to reflect, and experience a sense of coherence and presence that many people feel they have been missing.”
A spiral is one of the most fundamental patterns of existence. It appears in galaxies, in the movement of subatomic particles, in weather systems, in water, in plant growth, in shells, and within the very structure of our own bodies. In the micro to the macro. Because of this, it is something that we effortlessly recognise. Immediately and wordlessly, and it evokes a state of wonder and awe.
“My work is grounded in the belief that art can function as a meeting place, between people and land, science and spirit, ancient knowledge and contemporary culture, offering practical, embodied pathways toward planetary harmony.”
Vittoria is an international artist, author and speaker, whose work bridges art, science, nature, and human awakening, she also runs Soul Simple retreats for wellbeing in Minchinhampton. www.soulsimple.co.uk
Pictures by Simon Pizzey
