Yorkshire Sculpture Park

With summer days somewhat limited in the North of England, I leapt at the opportunity to visit what is essentially the best outdoor sculpture galleries in the country. It is an absolutely unique way to experience modern and contemporary sculpture in 500 acres of stunning Yorkshire dales.

What instantly appealed was the interaction between art and nature that was on offer. Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore are two of the key benefactors to the park. Their work feels really quite at home nestled into the landscape which shaped their practice (both were educated at Leeds School of Art, where they first met).



One of my favourite pieces was Héros de Lumière by Polish sculptor, Igor Mitoraj. He uses classical ideals and materials in this piece, to produce what looks like a perfect marble replica of the work of Michaelangelo. However, there are some very obvious differences between a classical marble sculpture and this 1986 creation. Whilst classical pieces were made to perfection, Mitoraj has purposefully carved half of a woman's face, questioning classical ideas of perfection. The sheer size of this piece is also overwhelming. Icons and sculptures in antiquity were often larger than life to make them imposing or more valuable as a larger single block of marble would have to be carved. Mitoraj's example is magnified way beyond any classical sculpture would be which gives it a playful, surreal element that once again questions classical ideals and proportions.

I had first seen the work of Jaume Plensa in Nice whilst touring France. Whilst I had not remembered his name, his art work was unmistakeable. Plensa's caters for the public; creating art for the public, to go in public places. He is particularly interested in the interaction of people with the spaces around them and aims to manipulate this relationship with his work. I saw first-hand how alluring his pieces were and how they physically forged people with their surroundings when I tripped over a bollard in an attempt to get this photo of his sculpture in the south of France.

My second encountered of Plensa's work was thankfully injury free and very enjoyable. His huddled figures appear robust, yet insecure and represent the range of human emotion. Placing them in very public arenas forces the audience to interact with them and explore their own feelings. I particularly like the large suspended gongs engraved with emotive text that I was invited to bang. It was quite therapeutic to fill an otherwise empty gallery with the gentle hum of human existence.

As well as a wealth of engaging and though provoking exhibitions, the park, lake and Bretton Hall House are absolutely stunning and provide an experience of art, public art and sculpture that is very thought provoking indeed.