It would appear from the extensive media coverage of all things gardening that we are now obsessed with our garden, balcony or window box. If that is the case, the arts ? and craft and sculpture in particular ? are not going to miss out on the action, as Julia Ravenscroft points out.
There is an increasing demand for art specifically intended for the garden setting. Britain has a long tradition of gardening and creating that ultimate garden setting ? initially seen as a symbol of status. Whereas before, garden adornment often took the form of nymphs (or garden gnomes), now there is a growing demand for contemporary limited edition or one-off works of art and design. This all forms part of the increase in design awareness that started with Habitat and Conran in the 1980s and has been snowballing ever since. Although styling and adorning gardens may not be a new trend as such, the approach is now more contemporary and there is certainly a new and increasing market.
This may be due in part to the public?s appetite being whetted by television programmes such as the BBC?s Home Front, where art, craft and architectural pieces are commissioned on a weekly basis for site-specific environments. In addition, the growing popularity of major shows such as the Chelsea Flower Show, Hampton Court and Tatton Park expose a wide range of art and craft sundries to thousands of visitors each year. As a result, the demand for aesthetically pleasing or functional pieces that work in an outdoor setting, be it public or domestic, is on the increase.
People are starting to treat their outdoor spaces as they would their homes and regard their gardens as another place to display work, and as a result, the garden as an arena for craft and design is being explored by more and more makers and designers. A growing number of artists and craftspeople are focusing on this area for their practice, as well as a number of people who have previously concentrated on making work for interior spaces, who are now looking to expand their body of work and are producing works destined for outdoors, including public spaces and gardens. Commissions in these areas also seem to be on the increase and collectors are commissioning work for their gardens and outdoor spaces, just as they have commissioned screens, hangings, furniture and sculpture for their homes.
Big business
And so the trend for styling outdoor spaces is potentially big business. One group of leading UK artists has recognised the business potential of creating affordable art for the garden and has set up an organisation called ?Site Editions?. Organised through a website, it offers the ?modern gardener? and those who collect contemporary art a unique selection of art exclusively designed for the garden. Pieces are limited to editions of 500 and when delivered even arrive with ideas on positioning and maintenance. The work ranges from sculptures by Andrea Franklin to seating by Jim Partridge. Commercial galleries have also recognised that there is a market for this kind of work, and Flow in West London runs an annual and very successful ?Inside Outside? exhibition.
Public galleries, such as the Crafts Council, are responding to this interest too by addressing their exhibitions programming. This summer it will present a group show from June 19 to August 3 entitled ?Out There ? Craft Outside?, an open submission exhibition. The exhibition will look at the wide variety of unusual work currently being made for outdoors in the UK and will feature pieces by established and new makers, with many of the exhibitors showing at the Crafts Council Gallery for the first time. As an open submission exhibition, it showcases a selection of work and will provide a snapshot of current activity. The panel of selectors, who were faced with the difficult task of selecting from nearly 200 submissions, was made up of four experts: Nick Coombe of Stickland Coombe Architecture; Victoria Farrow, Chief Executive of the Museum of Garden History; Chris Royffe, Head of the School of Art, Architecture and Design at Leeds Metropolitan University; and Geraldine Rudge, Editor of Crafts magazine and author of ?Garden Crafts?.
The exhibition itself will be designed by Nick Coombe. His major challenge when designing the layout of the exhibition will be to create an appropriate context for the work on display ? the exhibits are intended for outdoor use, but will be displayed in the interior setting of the Crafts Council Gallery. He comments ?In designing the show, there is inevitably a temptation to dress up the gallery space to resemble an artificial garden. We have decided to treat this idea with scepticism ? although this technique may be applied to aspects of our final design. What we feel is more important is to acknowledge that while the visitors will be inside the gallery, we need to make them imagine that they are ?out there?, without relying on theatrical effect.?
Passion for the outdoors
This is a timely exhibition that responds to the British passion for the great outdoors. As with all the Crafts Council?s summer shows, the exhibition will present its visitors with something that is not only intelligent and an eye-opener but which is also accessible, humorous and an ideal way to pass the time inside during a typical British summer!
Julia Ravenscroft is Exhibition Organiser for ?Out There ? Craft Outside?.
t: 020 7806 2580; f: 020 7837 0858; e: j_ravenscroft@craftscouncil.org.uk; w: http://www.craftscouncil.org.uk