Winterbourne (Spring 2014), Perspex and concrete.
This sculptural installation in the Spring Gardens at West Dean has been inspired by explorations of the energies involved in river waters being forced up from the chalk bedrock, as well as running off the nearby hills. In order to make the energies of the waters manifest, they have been distilled into a series of shaped Perspex columns that rise through the flowing water, both resisting and following the various disturbances upon its surface.
The choice of using Perspex for this purpose relates primarily to its optical similarity to water and glass, giving the collection of shards in the river a related yet ambiguous appearance. The forms have been individually cut, heated, stretched and curved in order to create unique columns, each independent and self-contained, yet still recognisably part of a group. In the coming weeks, the arrangement of columns may be reconfigured in response to the falling water levels in the winterbourne stream.
The site of the installation in the Spring Garden was informed by a number of factors. Firstly, it served to emphasise how the nature of the stream shifted at the point of the wooden bridge, moving from a more formal arrangement, with straight edges and a managed pebble bed, to a section that seemed more natural, with uneven margins, curving banks and areas of sloping grass. The changing nature of the water’s flow was also reflected in the variety of configurations of Perspex forms, as well as their distribution within the line of the river―from central and symmetrical to irregular and intuitive.
The appearance of the piece changes with the conditions. It is affected by light and shade, by the visibility of the columns in relation to the sun and the ever-changing water levels.
This sculptural installation in the Spring Gardens at West Dean has been inspired by explorations of the energies involved in river waters being forced up from the chalk bedrock, as well as running off the nearby hills. In order to make the energies of the waters manifest, they have been distilled into a series of shaped Perspex columns that rise through the flowing water, both resisting and following the various disturbances upon its surface.
The choice of using Perspex for this purpose relates primarily to its optical similarity to water and glass, giving the collection of shards in the river a related yet ambiguous appearance. The forms have been individually cut, heated, stretched and curved in order to create unique columns, each independent and self-contained, yet still recognisably part of a group. In the coming weeks, the arrangement of columns may be reconfigured in response to the falling water levels in the winterbourne stream.
The site of the installation in the Spring Garden was informed by a number of factors. Firstly, it served to emphasise how the nature of the stream shifted at the point of the wooden bridge, moving from a more formal arrangement, with straight edges and a managed pebble bed, to a section that seemed more natural, with uneven margins, curving banks and areas of sloping grass. The changing nature of the water’s flow was also reflected in the variety of configurations of Perspex forms, as well as their distribution within the line of the river―from central and symmetrical to irregular and intuitive.
The appearance of the piece changes with the conditions. It is affected by light and shade, by the visibility of the columns in relation to the sun and the ever-changing water levels.
