Had a wonderful visit to Jupiter Artland last week, a destination which I would highly recommend to all who enjoy and appreciate contemporary art. Works by some of today’s leading artists and sculptors have been commissioned by owners Robert and Nicky Wilson and constructed in situ.
We were met on arrival by Nicky Wilson, who introduced us to her latest acquisition “Scaffold” by American artist Sam Durant. The structure is made up of a combination of reconstructed gallows (scaffolds) that were used for executions in the United States. Durant’s structure symbolizes the “school to prison pipeline,” using the contrast between what initially strikes the viewer as a climbing frame, signifying both the freedom of children at play and the stark reality of capital punishment.
From death to life….On a brighter note, I was particularly interested in Charles Jenck’s Life Forms which consist of eight landforms and a connecting causeway which surround pools of water, and a flat parterre for sculpture exhibits. These landforms represent the cells, the basic units of life, and the way one cell divides into two (mitosis). These amazing earth sculptures had to be climbed to be fully appreciated, offering us views of the landscape, and allowing us to contemplate our own existence within it. Having missed the annual opening of Jencks Garden of Cosmic Speculation last month, seeing these landforms were a real treat, and have made me determined to visit it next year.
I was mesmerized upon entering Anya Gallacio’s grotto, entitled ‘The Light Pours Out Of Me’, a sculpture, which also forms part of a garden. It was designed to be unsettling to the visitor, to make them ponder on whether to enter or not, and as a visitor, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when descending into this mysterious folly. At each side of the entrance, Obsidian lies broken on top of the concrete walls, at a distance it’s shiny appearance gives the impression that a shower of rain has recently fallen. The ” hidden gems” within this piece are the amethysts which encrust the walls of the grotto, giving a luxurious and sensual feel to the space. I lingered for quite a while in the grotto, enjoying the experience of being surrounded by swathes of my birthstone and feeling the energy within this beautiful space.
Antidotal Recall 