Category: Locus

For my Locus project I will be making sculpture for an Arts and Crafts garden. Having researched local Arts and Crafts gardens, there are 3 within a reasonable travelling distance – Dyffryn Gardens (National Trust property – open to the public all year), High Glanau Manor and Wyndcliffe Court (both members of the National Garden Scheme and open to the public a couple of days per year or by appointment). Both High Glanau Manor and Dyffryn Gardens have responded to my emails and are happy for me to visit and answer any questions I have in order to be able to design site specific sculptures for them (I have made it clear they are under no obligation to buy the finished work unless they want to!) but I haven’t yet heard back from Wyndcliffe Court.

I would prefer to rule out Dyffryn, as although it was remodelled in the Edwardian era, it doesn’t shout Arts and Crafts to me! There are garden rooms and terraces which you might expect of an Arts and Crafts garden, however they also have a lot of formal bedding which is one of the things the Arts and Crafts movement was trying to get away from, and the architecture of the house is certainly not Arts and Crafts. Both High Glanau Manor and Wyndcliffe Court are both considered excellent examples of Arts and Crafts architecture and gardens (Wyndcliffe Court was the setting for the recent BBC series The Victorian House of Arts and Crafts) so they would be my preferred locations. Until I hear back from Wyndcliffe Court I can’t make any plans as I don’t know what size the sculpture will need to be, the material, surrounding plants, setting, lighting, colour etc… so in the meantime, I went to Farnham Sculpture park to have a look at the some sculptures and see what inspired me.

I have an idea of using seeds as the subject as I like that they can be seen as a metaphor for the circle of life and for migration, however what plants, and therefore seeds grow where my sculpture will be, I don’t currently know. As such, I just kept an eye open for sculptures which inspired me from a making point of view – materials or combinations of materials, processes, positioning/setting, scale etc…or that were in-keeping with the ideals of the Arts & Crafts movement – natural themes, harmony, native species (although what is considered native to Britain is very debatable as seeds have spread all over the world and what we think of as native could have come from anywhere – I will write a blog post on this research later on!)

I have typed a lot and there are a lot of photo’s, so I will just write a few words underneath each photo to explain what interested me about it!

Bases for large metal sculpture – must be sturdy!

Glass – gorgeous organic shapes but needs to be set against the sky so sunlight is always shining through it, otherwise the properties of the material is wasted.

Glass again but interesting textures

Glass again and lovely organic forms. About human height. Another idea for sturdiness – sculpture in a bowl which can be filled with stone and/or water to weight it down.

Giant seed sculpture of the seed of the tree under which it sits. Using the natural properties of the seed on which the sculpture is based to maximum advantage – the seed is heavy and plants it in the earth (echoed with the sturdiness of the sculpture), while the lacy ‘wing’ helps it drift away from the shadow of the parent tree and creates the beauty and interest in the sculpture.

Ceramic seed forms – in case of conker trees! Would be fun to make.

Surface texture, pattern and patination of bronze.

Positioning against tree line

Receptacle for water which creates reflections and light in a semi-shaded area

Close up of the sycamore seed

Ceramic collars on top of each other, secured by central pole. Subject of decoration more important than actual structure. Different way of looking at things. Could have Arts and Crafts style designs and prints.

Simple but beautiful and lets your imagination get to work.

Bubbles inside bubbles inside bubbles. How did they make it?! Speak to Martyn!

As above!

Why glass needs to be in a clearing with a background of sky and sun!

Seedy forms

Seedy forms

Locus Presentation

I would like to make garden sculpture in the Arts and Crafts style on a theme of seeds and seed heads.

I want to make garden sculpture because it combines my love of gardening with my love of making. I was particularly inspired by the work of Simon Gudgeon at Chelsea – that sparked the dream!

I want to make sculpture bearing the Arts and Crafts Movement ideals in mind. Traditional craftsmanship, designs based on nature, not overly fussy or ornate, harmonious, local & natural materials.

I want to base my designs on seeds and seedheads because I love that they can be used as a metaphor for both the cycle of life and for human migration – seeds are the end and the beginning of life for annual plants and they can be dispersed in so many different ways, for different reasons, over varying distances and have been since the beginning of time – as with humans. I have done a lot of research into this and will make a separate blog post about this soon.

In the presentation Pip suggested that my next step needs to be going out and getting in touch with the owners of gardens that are open to the public and seeking a commission, or at least somewhere that I can design a site-specific sculpture for, so that is what I shall do!

I will also visit sculpture gardens such as Yorkshire Sculpture Park and the Barbara Hepworth Garden for inspiration.

Some materials are more suited to outdoor sculpture than others, and if the sculpture is going to be site specific, then I can’t tell what material will be most suitable until I find the site. For example glass would be wasted in a dark shady corner – it needs light behind it to show it off to its best advantage. As such, I will take part in all the workshops until I know more.