Radical Horizons at Chatsworth

Yesterday we were on our way to visit a friend we hadn't seen since last Autumn and we had stopped to break the journey at Baslow in Derbyshire. A short walk from the centre of Baslow takes you on to the Chatsworth Estate.

Below is the Kissing Gate which takes you into the estate. Inspired by Mrs Jill Cannon and made by Mathers Engineering of Tibshelf it enables wheelchair access to the grounds.  

 

At present Chatsworth is hosting sculptures from The Art of the Burning Man which is held annually in the Black Rock Desert, Nevada, USA.

 

There are twelve sculptures in all and I was hoping to see three or four of the sculptures nearest to the entrance we used.  I wasn't sure how far I could walk but I did quite well.  My little step counter said I'd done 5,500 steps by the time we got back to the car park.

 

There are so many lovely trees in the park but worryingly drifts of crisp, brown leaves were scattered across the grass in some areas.

 

Above and below the first sculpture we came across is Relevé by Rebekah Waites.  It is based on the legend of the Nine Ladies stone circle, a Bronze Age site not far from Chatsworth.  The sculpture celebrates the rebellious spirit of art, dance and music.

It was constructed by youth volunteers and school groups from the local community. 

 

 

The sculpture will be burned at the end of the exhibition in a celebration of 'letting go' of the exhibition which is a tradition of the Burning Man exhibition.

Above and below Lodestar by Randy Polumbo.

Lodestar is made from a second World War military plane.  It has, according to the description, 'blossomed into a contemplative flower and gathering place for pollinators'.

 

It is decorated  with hand blown glass flowers.

Above and below Coralee by Dana Albany and Flash Hopkins.

 

Dana Albany worked with children from the local community to build the Mermaid at Chatsworth.

It is based on the tale of the mermaid's pool which can be found just below Kinder Scout in the High Peaks.

It is made from objects found by the local children and also objects donated by the workers on the Chatsworth estate.

Below is the last sculpture of the four we managed to get to in the time we had.

This one is called Le Attrata and is by Margaret Long and Orion Fredericks.

 

Three moths sit on top of steel spires or flames. There are glowing chrysalises around the sculpture.

I sat on one of the seats incorporated into the sculpture to look up at the moths.

This sculpture was quite popular with visitors mainly because they could sit for a while and take it all in.

 

It was time to make our way back to the car and carry on with our journey.  We saw four out of eight sculptures and are going to go back in a week or two to approach the others from the opposite side of the estate, hopefully we'll see a few more.

As we walked back we spotted the deer under the trees.  

They were happily grazing and not too bothered by the visitors.