10 APRIL 2006 NEWS RELEASE No: 8364

Grizedale Forest is relaunching its world famous sculpture programme with three exciting new commissions.

Grizedale was at the forefront in the development of outdoor art in the 1970s and the Forest is home to over 60 sculptures including works by Andy Goldsworthy, Richard Harris and Peter Nikoloski.

No new works have been commissioned at Grizedale for several years. However, the sculptures attract thousands of visitors and the Forestry Commission recently decided to take over responsibility for introducing new works of art so that it could add to the existing collection.

Jonathan Clarkson, Recreation Manager at Grizedale Forest, says:

“We have chosen a mixture of both new and established artists as we hope the forest can provide a showcase for emerging talent.

“We are also trying to bring back that element of risk by stimulating people and provoking a reaction to the sculptures. The three new pieces are all very different and very remarkable pieces of work.”

The first of the new sculptures will be Twig Birds by recent graduate Pauline Gill. She will be on hand to install her three crafted birds in a specially built aviary inside the Forest on 10th April.

Pauline Gill’s work involves the sculpture of birds made out of twigs and other natural forms. She says her work encompasses her love of birds and a 'magpie' mentality of collecting but also combines an emphasis on the importance of re-cycling.

The second piece is Life Cycles by Mary Low, which will be a set of rock face charcoal drawings at Bogle Crag. This will be her first work set in nature and she says it will be part shadow, part memory, that will be held briefly on the rocks before passing back into the earth to rejoin the great cycle of life. Mary will create the pieces during the week beginning April 23 and people will be able to come and watch it taking shape.

A striking pose will be set by well-known sculptor Robert Bryce Muir's Mea Culpa in May. It features two three-metre high male figures made from steel. One is pulling a rope, which the other figure is clinging to.

It was former Head Forester Bill Grant who launched the sculpture trail in the forest, pioneering the idea of integrating works of art into the natural environment.

Visitors can discover the sculptures on foot or on a bike along one of 13 trails that run through the forest. Many of the pieces are situated alongside paths but others are hidden amid the trees in areas of the forest that inspired the artist. A map showing the location of all the sculptures can be obtained from the visitor centre.

Ends

NOTES TO EDITORS:

1. Jonathan Clarkson and Pauline Gill will be available for interviews and photographs at Grizedale Forest on Monday 10th April. For further details contact Jonathan Clarkson on the number below.
2. IMAGES AVAILABLE: A picture of one of the Twig Birds is attached, together with pictures of two existing sculptures: Private Meeting by Robert Koenig and Bean An T-Visce by Alannah Robins.
3. The Forestry Commission is the largest provider of countryside recreation in Britain with responsibility for over one million hectares (2.4 million acres) of forest, woodlands and open countryside. The North West England Forest District covers the Lake District in Cumbria, the Forest of Bowland in Lancashire, Merseyside, Greater Manchester and Cheshire. The forests today are managed for conservation, wildlife, landscape and recreation as well as providing a valuable source of timber.
4. Grizedale Visitor Centre and Forest Park is bordered by Lake Windermere to the east and Coniston Water to the West. The nearest centres are Hawkshead and Ambleside.

MEDIA CONTACTS: Jonathan Clarkson on 01229-862010 or Sue Gardiner on 01229-862002.