House of Bling
Grass Carpet, Linda Florence, 2008, made at York St John University as part of their C4C programme, (listing image, chandelier, Linda Florence, 2009 as part of Light Over Broadway installation)
Five artists have been let loose in the National Trust’s Tattershall Castle to make a body of work inspired by the building’s history. House of Bling is on show from 8 – 23 August
The exhibition gets its title from the castle itself, which was built by Ralph Cromwell, Henry VI’s Lord Treasurer, as a state-of-the-art example of mediaeval architectural show-off. Today the splendid brick keep is empty so it’s a perfect setting for an exhibition – and, in a two-way process, the specially commissioned pieces highlight aspects of the building which might otherwise by over-looked.
Linda Florence will turn the grass in front of the keep into a giant carpet by cutting great swirling patterns into the turf – the effect will be only really appreciated from the roof of the castle and, in echo of how history fades, will gradually disappear as the grass grows back. Catherine Bertola also explores the passing of time with her installation – a series of golden cobwebs inspired by the relationship between textiles and women both in history and in fairy tales. Sarah Price will create a wild garden artwork inspired by the castle’s interlude as a romantic ruin. Geraldine Pilgrim also looks at this period in Tattershall’s history by creating an installation looking at the romantic imagery of women trapped in turrets out of – unromantically enough – packing crates. And finally KMA (Kit Monkman and Tom Wexler) will create a playful, if fantastical, audio guide about the history of the castle.
www.nationaltrust.org.uk
