On Tuesday morning, I met the rest of ArtSpotter team to head to Knutsford, to spot the artworks at the Tatton Park Biennial 2012. The sun filtered through the windows of the train. It could only be a good day.
Indeed, when we arrived at the park, I was surprised by its size, its beauty, but also by the number of deers and other sheep roaming freely. Danielle Arnaud, one of the curators of the Biennial, gave us a guided tour of each commissioned artwork, to explain them and also give us the chance to meet some of the artists, finishing their installation.
The first artwork we saw was of half a plane, Gleaners of the Infocalypse realised by the Juneau Projects. I perceived it from a distance, hidden among the trees. I felt like a child, crossing the fields and going into the woods to discover the first step in a treasure hunt. Signs with details about each artwork and showing our pink ArtSpotter balloon guided us.
Then, we discovered the other works: Dinu Li’s VEX, a UFO which has crashed in front of the Mansion; PointFive’s Kiosk (in the form of a Black Box, similar to the ones in planes – except this one is well and truly black). Later in the gardens, we met Hilary Jack, finishing the installation of her Empty Nest, a neat little perch in one of the trees made of branches.
Ultimate Holding Company’s piece, The Cartland Institute For Romance Research was chosen to be the design on the bag of the Biennial sponsored by ArtSpotter. It is really amazing to see what the drawing on the bag looks like in reality!
Then, we headed to the Pont de Singe, made by Olivier Grossetête. There was only one of three helium balloons installed, because the wind had delayed the installation of the others. But it already looked amazing, with the balloon dancing with the wind, swaying the bridge from right to left, from top to bottom. It reminded me of those little ‘pont de singe’ on which every child plays once in a park, making fun of jumping on it to make it move in all directions.
Suddenly, not far from the Mansion, a caravan, which seems lost. But not at all, it is none other than the installation ¡Arriba! of Jem Finer, sat inside. He started to tell us the story of this caravan, and explained why this is a Flight of Fancy, a real voyage of the imagination with so much enthusiasm!
Then we entered the Mansion to discover the fine and detailed pencil drawings of Sarah Woodfine in the library: Recipe For A Kiss Of Shame. Upstairs, we were hosted by Tessa Farmer and her Cosmic Cloud of fairies. We saw Tessa working on the last piece of her installation, but she didn’t hesitate to take a break to answer visitor’s questions.
What do I remember for that day? Well, I made a true Flight of Fancy, I saw passionate and interesting artists who were happy and enthusiast to talk about their work so that it is understood by everyone. And I saw magnificent and ambitious works. From curators to artists to volunteers, everyone wants the best for this Biennial. Each artist has totally played the game, and the result is mind blowing.
