Sculpture in the garden Striking an attitude

Press, 24 July 1986, Page 20

Sculpture in the garden Striking an attitude

One of the effects of sculpture in the garden is that it acts as a foil, being the only object of stillness when everything else is moving in the breeze. From year to year it is also a static measure by which new annual growth can be gauged in the garden.

Smooth shapes and different planes of the sculpture contrast with fragmented patterns of foliage, and the daily passage of the sun is emphasised by the changing shapes of its shadows.

Stone and ceramic sculptures relate directly to nature, having been fashioned by the hand of man from its own rock and soil. The materials used in many of the modern sculptures are merely extensions of the same idea related to a technological age. Much more needs to be explored in using modem sculpture in ' outside spaces as sculpture can set the character of the garden. It can Introduce an air of calm reflection, playfulness, or even grandeur. It can be used to emphasise a space, and to unify it.

A piece of well-placed sculpture can draw the eye to an intended area, or can terminate a vista.

The placing of statuary in gardens has been with us at least since the time of the ancient Romans. Revived by the Renaissance men in search of the Golden Age, sculpture became an integral part of European garden tradition.

In these old gardens classical statues and vases lent excitement and richness to the scene. They became focal points of a design, in which the emphasis was on light and shade, order and symmetry, and in which the dominant colour was of green foliage. Flowers played a minimal role. Statuary should never be surrounded by flowers as their own sculptural qualities

Thelma Strongman

People and their gardens

detract from the piece. Here in New Zealand, good statues are rare finds. Classical concrete reproductions sometimes arrive from the mould complete with parallel sideseams. Then there is also the consideration that the classical age did not have much to do with New Zealand anyway. Similarly, statues in historic costume need careful thought. Perhaps the most unfortunate example I have yet seen was a pair of identical peddlers, complete with trays, standing on the buttresses of a garden wall. It was as if double the amount seemed better — rather like having two prints of the Mona Lisa side by side on the living room wall.

Some of the huge decorated pots can look very pleasant though, and in a formal garden plain con-

crete spheres can sometimes be used to very good effect on the tops of stone gateposts. Ideally, outdoor sculpture and pottery created by artists and craftspeople of our own country would sit more confortably in New Zealand gardens. Maori carvings would be superb. Perhaps a large, interesting chunk of stone or boulder could be used as a sculptural incident in the garden. Ursula Bethell, the Canterbury poet of the 1920 s and 19305, considered her cat Michael to be a garden lion, a piece of living sculpture within the small garden which she made on the Cashmere Hills.

"Making your lair where tender plants should flourish,

Or proudly couchant on a sun-warmed stone."

Many people consider sculpture unnecessary in the garden. With so much natural art amongst the plants, perhaps the only logical decoration should be a well-designed seat, or pair of wrought-iron gates, or large pots containing annuals or tender plants. Working beehives make a useful focal point for a beautiful kitchen garden or herb garden, where a sundial might also be an interesting focal point but some people even find this a bit “twee.”

The type and position of seats in the garden needs careful thought Bright metals and fabrics belong more to the deck or patio,

and more understated furniture, muted colours, and natural materials belong to the garden itself.

White painted furniture tends to jump out from a position where the impact of the plants is probably the more desired effect. Large, Lutyens-style garden benches, although beautiful in the right setting, look rather unhappy set in an informal, free-

standing position in the garden. They tend to need a more formal setting with the backing of a plain wall or hedge. Most important of all with seats — they must have a reason for being there. They need a comfortably sheltered position facing a view. A seat which is obviously never used for sitting on will look'wrong in the over-all design of the garden.

When furnishing a garden with man-made art and objects, you should make sure these are in scale with the space around them and with the garden as a whole. Perhaps most important of all, it is worth considering whether the object is meaningful to the character of the garden and to its owner, or is just an outdoor equivalent of the flying duck on the wall.