Little Forest Land Art

I have always wanted to tap into outdoor sculpture, and being able to exhibit my work on Hampshire’s very own 4th Plinth has provided me with the perfect platform to showcase my work in a new setting and environment.

I discovered I’d been selected a couple of weeks before I moved to Venice for an internship at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, which added to the excitement. I installed my piece a mere 48 hours before I left the UK, and upon returning I was able to see how the materials had fared in the variety of British weather across this time, which was particularly interesting…

The bright blue wax contrasting against the surrounding greenery has slowly faded in the sunlight, and cracks have begun to appear, through rainwater filling the small well at the top of the wax, freezing and melting. This relates back to the buildings from which my work takes inspiration, many Brutalist buildings are neglected and left to slowly decompose, resulting in them looking slightly unkempt.
In this particular piece, I’ve cast the wax onto the concrete to resemble and mimic a city skyline/silhouette. The pop of bright blue wax represents interventions of colour within urban landscapes and surroundings such as graffiti, cladding and signage. This particular piece of concrete has been salvaged, which I believe to be a scrap of road curb.

Using no fixtures, this piece may seem somewhat precarious at the same as being evidently solid. In this way, I am continuing my investigations into Brutalist architecture – sculptural buildings that have often generated strong opposing feelings of disdain or delight from urban residents.

The combination of man-made materials and natural surroundings, this piece is almost a comment on how nature is being taken over by high rise and concrete structures.

I have also been asked to be a judge for next year’s Boarhunt 4th Plinth competition and I am excited to see the possibilities. I would highly recommend applying! The support from the Little Forest team has been fantastic, and having the privilege to showcase my work in such a tranquil setting alongside local talent is really special.

I have also thoroughly enjoyed having the opportunity to discuss and explain my practice and thought processes with visitors to Little Forest through a series of ‘meet the maker’ talks. I don’t think it’s immediately obvious what you are presented with and this has allowed me to open up a whole new way of looking at my work and making it more accessible.

Also exhibiting so close to my hometown has been a real milestone for me as all my previous exhibitions have been based in the West Midlands.

www.abigailday.co.uk/

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You can view Abigail’s work during Art in the Garden, 10am-5pm daily until 16th June, 2018. This is also a great opportunity to view the site if you are thinking about entering the Boarhunt 4th Plinth competition next year.

We will be launching the competition, to find an artwork to go on the Plinth during Art in the Garden 2019, in the autumn.

The best way to be the first to know the details is to follow us on our social media:-
Twitter: @lflandart
Facebook: LittleForestLandArt
Instagram: littleforestlandart
Website: www.adrianmundy.co.uk/littleforestlandart/

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I can not recommend Art in the Garden 2018 highly enough… and it’s not because I’ve been heavily involved with it’s creation, site preparations and because I’ve got two artworks included.

Evergreen, our host and LFLA co-founder Jan Griffiths’ home, is a wonderful, calming place. Her modest studio, come gallery, overlooks a natural three acre meadow with mown paths cutting through to create numerous possible journeys. All of this is surrounded by majestic trees that make up Little Forest.

For two weeks in June this tranquil place is transformed into a glorious celebration of creativity, featuring the works of 16 amazingly varied artists and makers. Some pieces can be clearly seen from the lawn, while others are discovered when you wander along the paths. An octopus greets you at the pond, while chickens are ‘pecking’ among the nettles.

You can wander along the woodland path, under the shade of the trees, and come across the LFLA artists’ work ‘hidden’ in the undergrowth and glorious foxgloves.

Continue right to the end you arrive at the Pigsty Gallery, an installation of pinhole photography images, transferred on to slices of oak tree, created by our project documentary photographer Duncan Shepherd.

Doubling back down the woodland path you come to a clearing where a large oak tree once stood. The remaining stump has been created into our Bourhunt 4th Plinth. At the end of last year we held a competition to find an artwork to go on the Plinth during Art in the Garden. We chose Abigail Day and her striking concrete and casted wax sculpture. Abigail will write a guest blog in a few days.

Finally, if you want to get away from everything (don’t worry the mobile phone signal on site is terrible!) then how about a bit of forest bathing under an ancient willow tree. Jan has created a calming, contemplative space for you to sit and clear your head.

So grab yourself a cuppa and immerse yourself in a sea of creativity and nature.

Art in the Garden runs until 16th June, 10am-5pm daily.

Event details & exhibitor list on our social media
Twitter: @lflandart
Facebook: LittleForestLandArt
Instagram: littleforestlandart
Full event details on our Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1618918198204483/