In Nature is the exhibition of sculpture that Rachel and I are organising and promoting for the trustees of the Secret Garden in Kemp Town, Brighton. The show will take place in May and we are making good progress. The works we have chosen are on the theme of trees and seed forms; and the sculptors to be featured are Kenneth Armitage CBE RA, Elpida Hazdi-Vasileva, Wendy Taylor CBE and Julian Wild.
Rachel and Rob, the directors of Filmspot, our sister organisation, have begun working on five short films (one on each sculptor and one composite film) to publicise and document the show. The first filmed interview is already in the can. It’s Wendy Taylor in her studio, a former pumping house near St Katharine Dock. In the exhibition, we shall feature her magnificent, giant size poppy seed head, together with her meticulously observed bronze maquettes of a sycamore seed, acorn, fir cones and cob nut.
Above left: Rachel in Wendy Taylor's studio. Above right: Rachel and Rob preparing to film
Throughout her life, Wendy has been attracted to nature and the natural world and these works complement her major, highly engineered sculptures inspired by our hi-tech modern age. Wendy was one of the first British artists to take sculptures out of the gallery and into public spaces. Her many large-scale, site-specific public commissions are well-known, even if her name is not as recognised as it deserves to be. Whenever we visit Wendy, we take the opportunity to walk by the Thames and admire her Sundial, now a landmark near Tower Bridge.
Clockwise from top left: Sundial, Wendy Taylor, drawing of Sycamore Seeds and details of maquette in the 'Seed' series.
In Nature will be open at the Secret Garden Kemp Town, on Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays from 2 - 31 May, 11am - 5pm.