This August, The Alnwick Garden introduces an exciting Human Sculpture Festival entitled ‘STILL’. Working in partnership with Let’s Circus, Newcastle upon Tyne's leading circus and street arts company, The Garden will present a mesmerizing new festival which will include human statue work, static live art, wearable art, design and installation with a human element at its core.
Taking place from Thursday 23rd - Tuesday 28th August, The Alnwick Garden will become a living exhibition space for a series of outdoor installations based around the theme of 'human sculpture'. Four pieces from professional artists from across the UK have been selected and commissioned, each challenged with incorporating a live human element at the core of their piece. These contemporary commissions will be integrated into the permanent structures within The Garden, complementing the striking landscapes and encouraging visitors to view garden statues in a completely new light.
The Festival will include innovative artworks such as ‘The Alnwick Butterfly’, a large interpretive structure representing the evolution of the butterfly from its cocoon state through to its birth. The Garden's hornbeam walkways will be guarded by the ‘Queen Gatekeepers’, a highly visual interactive piece which must be negotiated with by the public before they may pass.
A range of interactive works created by Let's Circus will also be exhibited throughout the Festival that visitors can put themselves into, including bizarre topiary headpieces. A large scale 'Cats & Dogs' chess set will inhabit the area in front of the Grand Cascade, enticing visitors to take the challenge and become a pawn in one of the many Garden games.
'Human Sculpture' is a new genre, offering an exciting meeting of performance and design and an opportunity for artists from both disciplines to collaborate. From this inaugural year, The Alnwick Garden hopes to work towards an annual human sculpture festival that will inspire theatre makers, artists and designers alike to be a part of this unique event for years to come.
All ‘STILL’-related activities are free of charge. Normal admission prices to The Alnwick Garden apply.