On Form Sculpture: Please Touch
The past 18 months have not invited a lot of touch. Quarantined at home and isolated from friends, many people have felt a lack of connection, both emotionally and physically.
Our neighbour here in the Cotswolds, on form, opens in June and celebrates so much of what has been missing in our lives: art, nature, contemplation, communication, and the joy of touch, the sense that has been found to calm our nervous centre and slow down our heartbeat.
Over 300 stone sculptures will be exhibited in the heavenly gardens and landscape of Asthall Manor in Oxfordshire this summer. Visitors are urged to engage with the sculptures, to stroke, smell, and feel the ancient surface of each stone. This multi-sensory experience affects people in deep-rooted and unexpected ways.
Here at Thyme, look out for works by form sculptors, Antony Turner, in the Farmhouse garden.
Anna Greenacre, curator of on form, shares knowledge for placing artwork in a garden.
*First, ask yourself what you want the sculpture to do. Should it draw the eye down the garden, break up the space or simply be something to look out on?
*Don’t assume it needs to go in the middle of your lawn or patio. Sculpture works well in flower beds, on a garden table or against a wall or hedge.
*Scale is important, but small gardens don’t have to mean small sculptures. A large piece can add a sense of energy and fun to a space.
*Think about light. This is especially important for wall reliefs. In the right place, the sun can act as a natural spotlight.
*Enlist friends or family to help you work out the best spot. Think about views from a distance, but also about being up close. Stone is tactile, and sculpture is made to be touched; make sure it’s accessible.
