Caught in the act—artists having fun in the park

Press, 19 May 1984, Page 17

Caught in the act —artists having fun in the park

MARTIN HOLMAN,

contributor to “The Tablet,” London

Sculpture has never been as popular as painting with the British, perhaps because of the problems attached to exhibiting sculpture effectively; cramped conditions diffuse its power to animate its surroundings. Until recently this attitude was fuelled by the absence of a healthy sculptural tradition, but with British sculptors now outstripping native painters in world prominence. the need is for more accessibilitv and more space. This last commodity is being supplied bv Margam Country Park, more than 400 hectares of richly varied landscape. Just outside the industrial town of Port Talbot in south Wales, the park straddles a valley and wanders over hillsides, in some parts densely wooded and in others open and gently undulating. Since the summer of 1983, it has been the setting of an open air exhibition of sculpture by British artists, from Henry Moore to the present voung generation. There have been pioneering temporary outdoor displays in London's ' Battersea Park since the 1940 s and, indeed, elsewhere. Yet it was not until 1977 that Britain had its first permanent arena for sculpture — at Glenshee in Scotland. Since then, small sculpture parks have been established throughout the country. Sfome have been attached to

sculpture study centres, such as that at Leeds, but most notable are those parks on a broader scale, such as Margam and its English counterpart, the Yorkshire Sculpture Park at West Bretton, near Wakefield.

At Margam, two concerns predominate: to confound the notion that major artistic activity must be centred on London; and to draw attention to the contribution British sculptors have made to the visual arts.

The selection, organised by the Welsh Sculpture Trust, outlines the changes in perception among artists from three distinct generations. Chief among those who came to maturity before 1939 is Moore, whose “Hill Arch” is the first work seen on entering the park; graduates from art schools in the immediate post-Second World War years, such as Anthony Caro and Phillip King, are represented by characteristically dignified examples; the third generation comprises those born after 1940. This last group provides almost half the 35 chosen exhibitors. The transformation over the years can be traced though the changing to subject mat-

ter and materials. After the subtle and evocative shapes abstracted from nature that Moore and Barbara Hepworth sculptured in stone, the emphasis moved from countryside to town in the 1950 s and 19605. An urban sculpture grew up, constructed from industrial materials such as welded steel, which was dynamic in character and seemingly incomplete in form, needing the spectators themselves to “finish” the work in their mind's eye from the clues the artist disclosed.

Now. without rejecting completely either the methods or matter of their immediate predecessors, sculptors are reclaiming those sources of inspiration and technical procedures that had fallen from favour since the Second World War. The focus is returning to natural forms and materials. The work of David Nash and John Gingell stands as examples. Nash has created a delicate waterfall from hollowed tree trunks and fallen twigs at the foot of the park’s small lake, while Gingell has contributed his imposing “Watchtower _ Sitework” at the furthest distance from the estate’s centrepiece, and eighteenth century orangery around whips the major's

ity of exhibits are clustered. From a distance, the tower’s setting as a hillside fastness gives a sense of mystery and revives the traditional English practice of setting up monuments as points from which to appreciate the landscape; close to, the network of paths and grottoes adds the promise of adventure.

Gingell's and Nash’s respect for topographical features is not coincidental. Sculptors have kept in mind the particular needs of a park that is primarily a recreational centre run by the local government authority, West Glamorgan County Council, which bought the estate in 1973. The results present a challenge to the artist who is used to confronting his audience in a gallery.

At Margam, the exhibition is emphasised, but not obtrusive, remembering that it is one of several attractions. Some works are deployed, like Gingell’s tower, in a way that encourages visitors to explore the grounds. Others, for instance William Pye’s tabular aluminium “Quillion,” highlight textural contrasts between metal sculpture and natural

Current styles are sympathetic to open venues. Moreover, the attraction of recognisable forms in figurative sculpture is enhanced by wit and whimsy, as in Robert Scriven’s stylised “Girl on a Bicycle,” a large gangling figure, steadying her arched back as she free-wheels her uninvitingly severe bone-shaker.

By juxtapositioning exhibits with a maze, a putting green, a deer park, and a horticultural centre, the organisers have dispelled any impression of a “cultural ghetto.” Yet the choice of Margam is appropriate as it has been a site of sculptural activity since the Iron Age. A Museum of Stones containing locally worked examples dating from the ninth century, when Margam was an important religious centre, underlines affinities between the strangeness of vision, as it seems to us now, in the art of earlier epochs, and the symbolic forms of Moore, Hepworth, and Moelwyn Merchant. The exhibition will remain in place until July when it is hoped to retain many of the 60 pieces and supplement' them by displays of specially commissioned work. Meanwhile, the park has exposed the potential for fun in sculpture and the role it can play in the fabric of daily life. — London Press Service.