Colour Forms
straws upon the water for the Fernery at Wentworth Castle Gardens
“‘I am afraid we are little better than straws upon the water; we may flatter ourselves that we swim, when the current carries us along.’”
When we first visited Wentworth Castle Gardens during the early stages of this commission, we were struck by the story and achievements of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu who is celebrated by the sun monument which was erected in her honour, in the gardens. Her introduction of the Smallpox inoculation to England during the early 1700s resonated with the the research being undertaken into the development of vaccines for Coronavirus, that were happening at the time.
Images of viruses were an early influence, as was the spherical form, present within the sun monument, along with the magical setting of The Fernery. We were struck by the beauty and tranquility of this setting, in this lesser-used area of the garden. Creating artwork specifically for The Fernery area was a total pleasure, it is such a peaceful place with meandering paths and stunning plant life; the perfect accompaniment for Colour Forms - straws upon the water.
Developing and making Colour Forms during the global pandemic threw up many challenges but also offered up some interesting opportunities, such as the chance to work remotely with a group of families for Silkstone Primary School, who created and emailed us over one hundred drawings and photographs during the summer of 2020.
Colour Forms consists of a series of hand painted spheres, a molecular structure and two bespoke benches accompanied by an atmospheric soundscape. We affectionally refer to the sculptures as Mother-Sphere (the large sphere), Sibling Spheres (the six small spheres) and Molly (the molecular sphere structure).
Following the installation at Wentworth Castle Gardens in March and April 2021, ‘Colour Forms - straws upon the water’ toured to Cannon Hall and Elsecar Heritage Centre during May and June 2021.
The large central sculptures (Molly and Mother Sphere) now have a permanent home at Castle Hill School in Huddersfield, and we donated the two benches to the garden at Wakefield Hospice.
Photos by Timm Cleasby