‘Give Me Shelter’ explores man’s changing relationship to the world’s land, wildlife and natural resources through new sculptural work and installations located in the beautiful grounds of the National Trust’s grand 18th century mansion until September 2009.
Eleven artists have been invited by the visual arts commissioning organisation, Meadow Arts, to present work at Attingham, which examines our contradictory relationship with the natural world: we exploit and ruin it, yet we romanticise it and rely upon it to provide us with shelter from cataclysmic disasters linked to global warming and increasing pressures on resources.
Visitors to the National Trust property will find over-sized bird houses, a Rapunzle-esque tower and a mysterious hide-away in the woods, hundreds of monopoly houses floating on the lake, ingenious security measures in the kitchen garden and giant beach huts torn from the ground.
Anne de Charmant, director of Meadow Arts said: “The artists that Meadow Arts have invited to make new sculptural works for ‘Give Me Shelter’ were presented with over 400 acres of some of the most beautiful landscape in the country to play with – that’s a lot of space and quite a challenge.
“Each has responded to the size of the site with equally big ideas about some of the most important global issues we face today, from world food shortages to the very future of man’s survival, while creating wonderful works that fully integrate with both the location and the history of the National Trust’s Attingham Park.”
Catherine Turnbull, House and Visitor Services Manager at Attingham Park, said: “We are thrilled to be showcasing such a dramatic and fascinating exhibition here at Attingham with each unique installation being thought provoking. Many of the large pieces are inspired by the Attingham landscape, including ancient oak woodland, walled garden, icehouse, Mile Walk and River Tern. We hope that our visitors will take the opportunity to enjoy this contemporary art throughout the changing seasons of the year long exhibition.”
In the first half of the 18th century, parks surrounding stately homes were full of variety, surprises and symbolism. There were carefully positioned temples, follies, grottoes, obelisks and statuary and people found entertainment in the form of plunge pools, banqueting houses, boating lakes and bowling greens.
‘Give Me Shelter’ at Attingham Park offers a modern take with significant political agendas on the tradition of creating unusual experiences and evoking emotions in the visitor as they promenade the pleasure grounds.
The artists are Cornford + Cross, Susan Grant, Charlotte Gyllenhammar, Henry Krokatsis, Christina Mackie, Ivan and Heather Morison, Keith Wilson and Winter/Hoerbelt. ‘Give Me Shelter’ is the second Meadow Arts exhibition at a National Trust property and will be followed by a further year long show at Croft Castle in Herefordshire.
You can view more photos of the exhibits here.
