YSP SUMMER 2018
YSP Summer 2018
‘The UK’s most inspiring gallery without walls’ Matthew Wilson, Financial Times
Yorkshire Sculpture Park (YSP) is the best place in the UK to experience contemporary and modern sculpture, presenting work by some of the world’s most extraordinary artists in over 500 acres of beautiful, historic parkland and five indoor galleries. This summer, we present the extraordinary work of Giuseppe Penone, one of the most eminent artists working today. The exhibition in the Underground Gallery and open air traces the artist’s evolving and deeply thoughtful investigation of humanity’s intimate connections to the natural world. Cover: Giuseppe Penone, Albero Folgorato, 2012 © Archivo Penone. Jaume Plensa, Wilsis, 2016. Courtesy the artist. Photo © Jonty Wilde
In the Country Park, Katrina Palmer’s intervention The Coffin Jump (2018),
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YSP Summer 2018 combines sculpture, sound and performance, and references the work of the extraordinary all-female First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (FANY). Continuing in the Chapel, Chiharu Shiota’s awe-inspiring installation of white thread takes inspiration from the history of the 18thcentury building and responds to the Park’s unique heritage and context. In the Bothy and Garden Galleries, we highlight the radical, innovative work of arts and environment charity Common Ground. Textile artist Mister Finch’s exquisite and intricate hand-sewn menagerie inhabits YSP Centre in his magical exhibition The Wish Post.
Current Artists & Projects
Giuseppe Penone, Matrice, 2015. Courtesy the artist. Photo © Archivo Penone
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Giuseppe Penone: A Tree in the Wood 26 May 2018–28 April 2019 Underground Gallery and open air #GiuseppePenone
rings. In another space, Propagazione is a delicate drawing made directly onto three walls, emanating from the artist’s fingerprint.
‘The tree is a spectacular creation because each part of the tree is necessary to its life, it is the perfect sculpture.’ Giuseppe Penone
In the open air, nine bronze sculptures stand in dialogue with the landscape, the tallest of which, L’ombra del bronzo is an imposing 16 metres high. Overlooking the gardens, Albero folgorato, a beautiful bronze cast of a lightningstruck tree, has its exposed interior lined with gold leaf that catches the sunlight.
One of the most eminent artists working today, Giuseppe Penone presents his extensive new exhibition in YSP’s light-filled Underground Gallery and across the historic landscape. Giuseppe Penone, In bilico, 2012. Courtesy the artist. Photo © Archivio Penone
Works drawn from the past five decades of Penone’s career, including many never shown in the UK, trace his evolving and thoughtful consideration of humanity’s intimate relationship with the natural world. His poetic practice addresses themes around the body, nature, time, touch and memory, played out across different materials from stone, acacia thorns and graphite, to thousands of laurel leaves. Reflecting the importance of trees as a recurring motif throughout Penone’s work, the remarkable Matrice stands at the heart of the expansive gallery and at 30 metres long, spans almost its entire length. The bisected trunk of a fir tree, it has been placed horizontally and meticulously carved to follow one of its growth
Further into the Park, Idee di pietra – Olmo is sited in a clearing near to the 18th-century Upper Lake. Encircled by woodland and native flora, it conveys an air of mystery and quiet intrigue, for which Penone’s work is known, and speaks directly to its surroundings. A full-colour catalogue with photographs of the exhibition documents this major project. Essays by Martin Gayford and Clare Lilley share insights into Penone’s unique way of viewing the world. Event – A Seasonal Poetry Walk 28 Jul & 8 Sep / 11.00–12.30 / £5 A beautiful poetry walk interspersed with readings from Penone’s Writings: 1968–2008. Exhibition generously supported by Marian Goodman Gallery, Litestructures and the Henry Moore Foundation.
Chiharu Shiota, Beyond Time, 2018. White thread, metal piano, musical notes. Copyright VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn, 2018 and the artist. Photo © Jonty Wilde
Chiharu Shiota: Beyond Time Until 2 September 2018 Chapel #ChiharuShiota ‘Beauty is certainly at the forefront of this installation. The organic nature of the enormous woven structure is almost mystical.’ Holly Black, Elephant Internationally acclaimed installation and performance artist Chiharu Shiota presents Beyond Time, an awe-inspiring, site-specific installation of woollen thread within the beautiful 18th-century Chapel. Born in Japan in 1972, the Berlin-based artist has received critical recognition worldwide for large-scale works such as The Key In The Hand (2015), an elaborate entanglement of red thread and keys, which she made when selected to represent Japan at the Venice Biennale. Her radical yet poetic artistic approach explores personal themes of loss and memory through intricately woven installations, referencing life, death and belonging.
Within the nave of YSP’s Chapel, an ethereal web of white thread sweeps towards the heavens. Emerging from a steel piano, suggesting an absent musical instrument, Beyond Time references the building’s unique heritage, revisiting and honouring architectural and spiritual elements that no longer exist. Drawing on the Chapel’s rich history and years of human presence, dating back to 1744, the installation makes poignant allusion to the bells that were rung, the songs that were sung, and the lives that revolved around it, from cradle to grave. Characteristic of her work’s resonance with memory and human relationships, the installation incorporates the scores of music known to have been played or sung in this highly meaningful space by generations of voices, as well as an historic bell ringing score. A unique artist-designed limited edition accompanies the exhibition and is available to purchase, with all proceeds supporting YSP.
Exhibition generously supported by The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation and Blain|Southern.
Current Artists & Projects 6/ 7
Carrying Christmas trees to the Hayward Gallery, 1986. Courtesy Common Ground
Common Ground Until 2 September 2018 Bothy Gallery and Garden Gallery #CommonGround Founded in 1983 by Sue Clifford, Angela King and writer Roger Deakin, the Dorset-based arts and environmental charity Common Ground celebrates relationships between people and place. The idea of ‘local distinctiveness’ is at the heart of everything they do, and they have inspired people all over the country through campaigns like Apple Day, Parish Maps, New Milestones and Trees, Woods and the Green Man. Common Ground champions the ordinary, everyday aspects of the local environment, such as tree-lined streets or garden wildlife, drawing attention to the easily overlooked richness of local landscapes. In the Garden Gallery, a display documents some of Common Ground’s most iconic initiatives. The New Milestones project in Dorset helped communities commission sculptures for the landscape by artists including Peter RandallPage, Andy Goldsworthy and John Maine. Trees, Woods and the Green Man explored the cultural and natural value of trees and is represented
through drawings by David Nash, made to illustrate the publication In a Nutshell, and diary works from Goldsworthy’s residency on Hampstead Heath in 1986. The Bothy Gallery concentrates on Common Ground’s work with a new generation of contemporary artists. It shares the outcomes and documentation of new commissions developed by Common Ground to mark the 800th anniversary of the Charter of the Forest, in collaboration with the Woodland Trust. Extending the exhibition into the open air, Supernature (2018), a sound work by South African artist James Webb, tells stories and creates conversations between trees within the YSP landscape. Broadcast from speakers concealed within trees around the Upper Lake, Webb gives an audio reading of the Bretton Estate, paying special attention to the presence, history and imaginative possibility of trees. Event – The Orchard Project: Meet the Mentors 16 Jul & 1 Sep /11.00–15.30 / Free / Drop in Find out about The Orchard Project, a group that has worked with hundreds of committed, inspiring and passionate people to create and restore community orchards in Yorkshire.
Katrina Palmer, The Coffin Jump (artist impression). Courtesy the artist and 14-18 NOW
Katrina Palmer: The Coffin Jump From 16 June 2018 Country Park #KatrinaPalmer Co-commissioned with 14-18 NOW, the UK’s arts programme for the First World War centenary, Katrina Palmer’s The Coffin Jump takes as a point of departure the role of an extraordinary group of women in the First World War. Combining sculpture, sound and performance, The Coffin Jump symbolises the new freedoms afforded to women in the war, with specific reference to the all-female First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (FANY). Founded in 1907, Captain Edward Baker’s conception of the FANY was of women on horseback riding to the rescue of fallen men in the battlefield. Although the FANY ultimately drove motored ambulances, their role was and continues to be as powerfully independent and transformative as this original vision. At YSP, visitors will see an intervention in the historic deer park, comprising an inscribed fence
above a trench. This negative horizon, a line that cuts across the landscape and descends into a shallow depression, resonates with the trench as a site of mortality but also new beginnings as the woman on horseback cheats death. Hand-painted on the horse jump, phrases such as ‘woman saves man’ and ‘nothing special happened’ highlight the everyday heroism of women during the First World War, capturing the sense that the FANYs were doing their job and getting on with what had to be done in a practical manner. The work will occasionally be activated by a horse and local rider who will gallop across the Park and make the jump. Katrina Palmer lives and works in London, and teaches Fine Art at Central Saint Martins. In her work, she uses writing as a form of sculpture in which the object is elaborated through spatialised narratives and evoked in the reader’s or listener’s imagination. Co-commissioned by 14-18 NOW and YSP, made possible with Art Fund support. Special thanks to Sir David Verey, The Henry Moore Foundation and The Clothworkers’ Company. With additional support from Melanie Gee, Larissa Joy and thanks to Midge & Simon Palley, Nicholas & Jane Ferguson and Tony McCallum.
Current Artists & Projects
Art Without Walls
Explore more than 80 extraordinary works in the open air by world class artists including Ai Weiwei, Barbara Hepworth, James Turrell and Henry Moore.
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Ai Weiwei, Iron Tree, 2013. Private collection. Courtesy the artist. Photo Š Jonty Wilde
Mister Finch, The Rats’ Sorting Office. Courtesy the artist
Mister Finch: The Wish Post 23 June–23 September 2018 YSP Centre #MisterFinch Welcome to the eccentric and fantastical world of The Wish Post – an intricately hand-sewn and constructed menagerie created by textile artist Mister Finch. More than 75 individual soft sculptures showcase Finch’s masterful combination of up-cycled and new materials, from discarded wire, steel and wood, to vintage tapestries, cross stitch samplers, tablecloths, antique silverware and rescued cloth. The self-taught artist has drawn inspiration from British folklore, the historic Bretton Estate and Yorkshire wildlife to create his textile wonders. Finch’s Gothic YSP fairytale centres around the story of The Wish Post, a magical kingdom of woodland animals whose job it is to collect and sort other creatures’ wishes, which are breathed into envelopes and posted in toadstool postboxes. For one night each year, The Wish
Post creatures have the chance for their own dreams to be whisked away by the wind and come true. Badgers in blue jackets, hedgehogs playing brass bells, thimble-tailed rats, elegant swans, long-eared rabbits, and dapperly-dressed moles – all life-sized – gather together to prepare the wishes for the wind, ahead of The Wish Post festival. All works in the exhibition are available to buy, along with a special range of merchandise for YSP Shop comprising a lapel pin, tote bag, and notebook. The exhibition is also accompanied by a brandnew publication, self-published by Finch, which documents his journey creating The Wish Post and includes behind-the-scenes photography. Event – Book Signing 24 Jun 2018 / 13.30–16.30 / Free A fantastic opportunity to meet Mister Finch and get your copy of The Wish Post signed by the artist.
Current Artists & Projects
Sean Scully: Inside Outside 29 September 2018–6 January 2019 Longside Gallery and open air #SeanScully
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Sean Scully, Shadow Stack, 2018 © the artist, courtesy Sean Scully
Events
Photos © Grain & Knot / Charlotte Graham / David Lindsay
Events at YSP range from artist talks and sculpture courses to family workshops and landscape tours. Here are some of this season’s highlights but you can find out more about all YSP events and book online at ysp.org.uk/events
Stone Carving 4–8 Jul, 15–19 Aug & 5–9 Sep (five-day workshop) 10.00–16.00 / £305 Experiment with stone and different carving techniques to create a finished piece, led by skilled stonemason Marcia Bennett-Male. Using hand tools throughout, this in-depth course allows you to explore a detailed and intricate style of carving.
Spoon Whittling Workshop 7 Jul / 10.00–16.00 / £85, YSP Members £80 Create your very own wooden spoon and butter knife with guidance from expert wood-whittler Sophie Sellu. Come along and learn the art of crafting from sycamore wood using hand tools.
Let’s Play Vinyl – Heritage HiFi 21 Jul / 12.00–16.00 Free / Drop In Hear vintage reggae vinyl played on the custombuilt Heritage HiFi, with a classic DJ set by Paul ‘Axis’ Huxtable. Or, dig out your old dub and reggae 7-inches and join in.
Forest Fridays 27 Jul, 3, 10, 17 & 24 Aug £3–£20 From bushcraft to balance beams and woodland tools to willow-weaving, join our Forest Fridays series for families and be inspired by mother nature.
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Other Ways to Walk 28 Jul / 11.00–13.00 / £3 Join our Arts and Wellbeing Coordinator and artist, Rachel Massey, to explore the Park using all your senses. Other Ways to Walk cards will help guide attention and intrigue through focus, observation and imagination.
The Bretton Pleasure Grounds 18 Aug / 14.00–16.00 £9.50 (inc. refreshments and parking) Explore the woodlands and the development of the pleasure grounds around Upper Lake. Learn about the follies and the lavish entertainment that the family would have provided for their guests.
Tree Tales: Nature’s Sculptural Giants 22 Aug / 11.00–12.30 & 14.30–15.30 / £3 Enjoy a stroll amongst nature’s sculptural giants and a tale or two under the trees with performance storyteller Martin Maudsley.
Enjoy summer at YSP with playful exhibitions, events and activities
Sean Scully: Artist Talk 28 Sep / 18.00 / £10, YSP Members £8 An incredible opportunity to hear Sean Scully discuss his first UK exhibition of sculpture and painting at YSP this autumn.
ysp.org.uk/SeasonOfPlay
Information CONTACT US Yorkshire Sculpture Park West Bretton, West Yorkshire WF4 4LG (for SatNav use WF4 4JX) +44 (0)1924 832631, ysp.org.uk
DIRECTIONS One mile from M1, junction 38. Follow the brown heritage signs on the A637 to the YSP Main Entrance. For SatNav use WF4 4JX.
GROUP & LEARNING VISITS YSP welcomes all kinds of groups and offers coach parking, catering packages, talks and workshops. Find out more at ysp.org.uk/groups
OPENING TIMES Grounds & YSP Centre: 10.00–18.00 Shop, Restaurant & Café: 10.00–17.00 Galleries: 10.00–17.00 Longside Gallery: 11.00–16.00
ACCESSIBILITY Free use of mobility scooters – please call ahead to book on +44 (0)1924 832631.
GET CONNECTED You can find YSP on the following sites
Individual gallery opening dates and times vary, please refer to information on site and online
ADMISSION Admission to the whole of YSP is free. The only charge is to park your car. Prices: £3 (up to 1 hour), £6 (1–2 hours), £10 (all day). Payment by cash or card any time during your visit or online for up to 7 days after. As a charity, all proceeds support YSP. YSP FRIENDS Save money on parking with a YSP Friends membership. Find out more at ysp.org.uk/friends
Giuseppe Penone
FACILITIES Self-service restaurant and café (both with highchairs), shop, toilets and baby changing. YSP CODE You’re welcome to find out how the sculptures feel, unless requested otherwise, but please don’t sit or climb on them. Feel free to run, jump and roll on the grass but please remember that YSP isn’t your average park. Please no ball games, kite flying, tree climbing, skating or skateboarding. Find out more at ysp.org.uk/visit
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Chiharu Shiota
Katrina Palmer
YSP supported by
YSP is an accredited museum and registered charity, number 1067908. All details correct at time of print. Design by Founded: wearefounded.com
Information / Shop
YSP Shop Summer 2018
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Providing a unique alternative to high street shopping, YSP Shop houses a distinctive selection of products from international artists, contemporary designers and makers.
This summer, our collection includes nature-inspired homeware from Michael Disley, Jim Green and Linda Southwell, and jewellery by Cathy Newell Price and Nook of the North. Other delights include stunning ceramics and scented treats. Click and collect available ysp.org.uk/shop
YSPShop
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Help Build Our Future We’re building a new visitor centre, and we’re nearly there. But we need a little more help to finish off this ambitious project. Donate now and help to make YSP an even better place for all.
Yorkshire Sculpture Park ysp.org.uk/donate
Registered charity number 1067908