The Screaming Heads of Midlothian: Ontario’s Most Unforgettable Outdoor Art Experience
There are roadside attractions, and then there is Midlothian Castle. Head north toward Burk’s Falls in the Almaguin Highlands, turn off onto a quiet country road, and watch through the car window as something extraordinary begins to emerge from the fields — enormous concrete faces, mouths open in silent screams, rising from the earth like prehistoric sentinels. You’ve found Peter Camani’s life’s work. And it will stay with you long after you’ve driven away.
The Artist Behind the Vision
Peter Camani is a retired high school art teacher who has spent decades transforming his rural property into a land of dragons, giants, and countless curious tourists. He grew up in Hamilton, Ontario, took an early interest in art, studied at the University of Waterloo before transferring from sciences to the arts, and eventually became an art teacher at Almaguin Highlands Secondary School in South River.
He began working on his property-wide art project around 1981 — transforming what was once barren farmland into an extraordinary 310-acre sculpture garden, planting all the trees, creating the spring-fed ponds, and building the structures that now define the landscape. Retiring from teaching in 2008, he has continued his creative endeavours ever since, with the collection of art on his property ever expanding.
Some of his paintings hang in a few of the world’s most prestigious places — including the Vatican and Buckingham Palace. And yet here he is, on a gravel road outside Burk’s Falls, still pouring concrete and building giants.
The Screaming Heads
There are more than 100 of them, truly photogenic giants standing approximately six metres tall and weighing as much as 27 tonnes. The monolithic concrete sculptures range from Munch-like screaming faces to hands, horses, and memorials.
Camani has said the sculptures were partly inspired by the concept of duality, using the sun’s light to reflect this in his work. As the sun rises and sets, each sculpture has a light side and a dark side, which reverse over the course of the day. Another concept he has incorporated into the screaming heads is the idea of them serving as a warning against environmental degradation — that the sculptures represent “the earth rebelling against what we’re doing to the land.”
The large concrete structures are arranged in such a way that they form the shape of a dragon when viewed from the air — a detail that Camani planned from the very beginning, across decades of work on a 310-acre canvas.
In some of the more awe-inspiring sections of the property, they appear to burst through the earth’s surface, wailing as they reach their hands to the sky. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse ride through the hills. The Primeval Forest — Camani’s name for a collection of shrieking concrete trees — is one of his more recent additions. A meandering stream and small pond provide moments of quiet reflection between encounters with the giants. Peacocks roam the grounds
The Castle Itself
Midlothian Castle started life in the early 20th century as a farmhouse. Camani set about repairing the collapsed building over seven years, living in just one room while the rest was in various stages of demolition and renovation — and as an artist, he did it with flair, adding a series of towers and turret-like chimneys, giving the house a castle-like appearance.
Camani’s home is now topped with a turret resembling a screaming face and a two-headed dragon sitting atop the chimney. Facing the road is a wall topped with busts of people reenacting the “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” proverb, while facing the parking lot is a towering metal gate that resembles a spider web. The castle itself is Camani’s private residence and is off limits to visitors — but the extraordinary exterior and grounds are yours to explore freely.
The Harvest Festival
Every September since 2007, the Midlothian Castle grounds have hosted the Harvest Festival — a four-day, multi-stage electronic music festival that has taken over the property nearly every September, and which CBC Arts has described as the Almaguin Highlands’ version of Burning Man. Encouraged by Camani, the Harvest Festival team has added several structures to the property over the years, including a geodesic dome and a pyramid — all of which improve the property year-round. The festival’s steel-frame structures, covered with fabric during the event, resemble crashed spaceships and pyramids rising from the Almaguin forest.
harvestfestival.org/
While You’re in the Area
The Screaming Heads sit at the heart of a remarkably rewarding corner of the Almaguin Highlands. Combine your visit with a wander along the Heritage River Walk in Burk’s Falls along the banks of the Magnetawan River, a stop at the Crystal Cave in South River — one of the finest mineral exhibits in Canada — a coffee at Savour This in Burk’s Falls, or a burger or the famous Reuben and The Bear’s Den food truck in Magnetawan. The Antler Farm in South River offers close encounters with white-tailed deer, and Mikisew Provincial Park’s sandy beaches on Eagle Lake are a perfect contrast to the towering concrete giants you’ll have spent the day with.
The Screaming Heads of Midlothian are one of those places that defy easy description — best experienced, photographed, and wondered at in person. Make the drive. You won’t regret it! 981 Midlothian Rd, Burk’s Falls, ON
