| "Wilderness
the Dance" at Kemyel Crease
Nature Reserve
Update
on January 9th 2004
Changes happen
all the time to sculpture made from natural
materials as the weather changes and the
biodegrading of materials take place. Today the
piece has changed a lot since the launch in
October 2003 due to the rain and autumn winds.
The canopy of leaves has fallen. The path
throughout Kemyel is very muddy, and the sense of
moving through doorways and into new spaces which
open out as another experience has been changed to
some extent. The springs that rise out of the
hillside have made streams across the path and
sometimes water runs along it, make walking
difficult.
However, new
and inspiring qualities have also been revealed.
The sticks that were pushed into the ground to
make basket pieces in the garden area have
sprouted. And on the queen form of the King and
Queen gateway a crop of frilly white fungi has
spread from the base half way up, giving a soft
living quality to the piece, maybe even a gown
for the bride. It is interesting to note how the fungus "swallows" the ivy leaves at the
base.
The path side shrine in pale green which attracted the
harvest of Chestnut leaves in a pool of warm
brown chestnut colours in the autumn has now
become a true shrine as imagined with water
flowing through. It certainly has a new life, and
has great presence.
The
project has always been interactive on many
levels - the way it was made, the people
involved, the people who passed through. And so
it has been a delight to see the way people
respond to the piece. One of the seed forms in
the garden area which was woven in privet has had
a seed head of a hydrangea carefully placed
inside. I have to thank whoever did that for
their understanding of the piece and sensitivity
with which they added to it. Other people have
put stones in the basket pieces, added leaves to
the bramble root sculptures at the
Mousehole end of Kemyel, and added their own
creations. There is an active sense of engagement with the
piece.
It
is possible, however, to lose sight of the simple
nature of what has been done, and some people
bring their own agendas. Notice boards are a
prize target for graffiti, and one or two
comments have been left there. Some make the
point that the piece shouldn't be there, as
"nature should be left to nature". If
the piece were an attempt to dominate a beautiful
natural environment with inappropriate sculpture,
or to use the reserve as an outdoor gallery to
show sculpture in, then I think I would agree
with them. In fact it sets out to respond to
nature in the spirit of appreciation and wonder,
not as a confrontation. It is also quite subtle,
as can be witnessed by the way some people walk
through without even noticing the work! There are
clearly contrasting attitudes to this, as others
have also strongly expressed their opinions in
favour of the piece on the same boards. Many
people have expressed their appreciation directly
and indirectly to me on the project, and there
seems to have been a warm welcome to it.
During the
construction of the piece I have had people
comment on how they found themselves feeling for
the shapes and forms in the trees around the
piece as a result of seeing the sculptural forms,
and others who have felt Kemyel as a magical
place, in a way they hadn't felt before.
Amusingly enough the only criticism I witnessed
was when a walker said "Why put sculpture in
here? I mean. Look at that beautiful tree! It is
a sculpture in itself!" It was a fallen tree with an ivy
crown that Mic Talbot and I cut and shaped before putting it up
near to the inverted bramble roots precisely for this reason!
So apparent criticism becomes a clear compliment.
One
man just walked through the carved earth tunnel
surrounded by privet at the Lamorna end of Kemyel
with his arms outstretched as though feeling the
air and quality of its space - no words, no
issues, no beliefs... just an enjoyable
experience. Such a tribute touches the heart of
why I made the piece.
I have taken a few
parties to Kemyel for guided visits, and
look forward to taking more. There have
also been parties who wanted to record my
thoughts on the project on tape, and of
course, many people take photographs of
the work.
As the season changes to
spring it will be exciting to see new
developments in the piece.
9.1.04
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