Beyond and Within

Beyond and Within

Unless you are a biology student, a post-grad, or a member of James College, you may not have encountered the curious, leguminous giant – the titanic, russet trumpet – that dwells silently behind Wentworth.

In fact this enigmatic yet accepted part of our campus is the work of a prolific Yorkshire based artist, Joanna Mowbray. The sculpture, Beyond and Within, 1995, was born into the home of many great works of sculpture, Yorkshire Sculpture Park. In its early years, it shared pastures with works by celebrated artists such as Barbara Hepwoth, Henry Moore, Elizabeth Frink, and Andy Goldsworthy before we were given the honour of its presence on our campus in 2005.

Mowbray was a fellow of the Yorkshire Sculpture Park in the 1980s, and created Beyond and Within as part of a series of works, with the funding of a bursary from the Henry Moore Foundation, a foundation which promotes the visual arts.

Mowbray chose the current location of Beyond and Within for its openness and tranquillity. Indeed, its organic curves and autumnal colouring make Beyond and Within a serene and unimposing sculpture.

Mowbray describes the work as "a large hollow-form, open at both ends to allow light to pass right through. The space inside the form and the changes of natural light become crucial expressive elements of the sculpture. The work becomes a metaphor for a state of being, focused on creating a quiet presence within space".

Abyss

This concern with the effects of natural light on the sculpture is what unites the sculptures in the series. An earlier member of the series, Abyss, 1990, consists of a yawning opening like that of Beyond and Within; however, this comes to a stop, giving the sculpture the look of a concave gramophone. Another, Encompass, 1992, is similar in shape to Beyond and Within, but without the steel lip around the opening. All three sculptures, in the outdoor setting for which they are meant, follow natural curves, and would cast bold shadows upon their surroundings and upon themselves.

Encompass

The works are reminiscent of Anish Kapoor’s famous installation in the Tate Modern in 2002, Marsyas, although on a diminutive scale. However, the impact of Kapoor’s installation relies on it filling and conquering a large, interior space, whilst Beyond and Within and Mowbray’s other sculptures rely on the effects of being in the open, on the shadows produced by them and within them.

Vertigo

Traditional sculpture is not the only medium with which Mowbray works however. She also produces dance/sculpture/music combinations, involving pieces of her sculpture work in a dance performance, climbing inside and underneath the sculptures, and using them as props.

Marsyas

Perhaps you have never seen Beyond and Within, perhaps you walk past it everyday without giving it a second thought, perhaps you have even climbed inside it, or tried to climb through to the other end.

However, if, like many people you have always wondered what the story was behind it, then next time you walk past this cavernous, four metre aperture to a surging tunnel of steel you will know; it is a piece of art that moved from its home amongst other famous works to live amongst students on our campus.

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