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In the entrance building, I particularly enjoyed Casey Orr’s “Bone Fire”, a series of photographs taken in the Yorkshire area over the five years depicting unlit bonfires and their guardians. They highlight the folklore of this dying tradition, with arresting images of teenagers surrounded by the random, chaotic items that have made up their bonfires, resulting in unintentional sculptures.
Around the park, there are many sculptures dotted around. Many of the best are integrated into the surroundings, such as David Nash’s “Black Steps”: the originals were rotting, so they were replaced with steps made of charred and oiled oak, and with coal laid between each. In the middle of the woods, it’s an astonishing sight, and I very much enjoyed walking up them to look down at the stark image they created. James Turrell’s “Deer Shelter Skyspace” is another highlight that is fully integrated into the land surrounding it. He spent 13 years restoring an old deer shelter in the grounds of the Park (which is also a working farm) to create a beautiful respite that uses the light of the Yorkshire sky to frame it and create an ever-changing picture.
One of the great joys of walking around this place is that you suddenly come across something bizarre but brilliant, like a field full of hay bales made from red and yellow wire frames. Dennis Oppenheim’s “Trees: From Alternative Landscape Components” was one of the more memorable outdoor exhibitions, consisting of trees with domestic items, such as baths, toilets and doghouses, hanging off the end of their metal branches.
But my favourite part of the whole experience was one of their temporary exhibitions, a look at the work of artist David Nash. This includes videos of the artist explaining how he chose and sculpted the wood for his work to a series of pictures and models depicting the development in his work. A particularly unexpected joy was a look at his work “Wooden Boulder”: in 1978, he released a large boulder of 200 year-old oak into a stream in a Welsh mountain, and this mini-exhibition charts its journey through film, pictures and drawings. Our day was rounded off with a look at his more recent work in the Underground Gallery, which included some of his work with charring wood and many pieces that we were able to go up and touch.
I’ve only touched on some of the things the Yorkshire Sculpture Park has to offer here: we didn’t manage to see everything, and the joy of the place is some of the small, unexpected pieces you find while walking around. If you have access to a car, sensible walking shoes and a free day, I’d thoroughly recommend making the journey to check it out.
Check out the Yorkshire Sculpture Park website for more information about their current and upcoming exhibitions.
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