Jo’s Monday walk : Yorkshire Sculpture Park

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A damp, grey English day sounds just perfect for a visit to a 500 acre country park, don’t you think?  At least I didn’t need to fight off the crowds at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park.  And the sheep seemed perfectly content.  What’s a little rain between friends?

It’s a place I’d wanted to visit for many a year, so I wasn’t going to be easily deterred.  I’d even taken note of the website, which suggested that sturdy shoes might be helpful.  The fact that I then left them in the boot of the car… well, some people never learn.

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So, we’ve met the sheep.  If you pick up a map at the YSP Centre, you can then work your way around the sculptures.  A small ornamental garden sits below the main building and then the ground rolls away down to the lake.  The wisteria was just coming into bloom.

The shapes are interesting, though not necessarily to everyone’s taste.  Sticking to any kind of order was beyond me.  A glimpse of something through the veil of trees and I’d be off at a tangent.  There are marked paths, however, so you don’t need to stray, unless you want to.  The mossy pond gave me my first vision of rhododendron loveliness.

The first renowned piece of work was Molecule Man 1+1+1, by Jonathan Borofski.  Impressed, I examined it from many angles.

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I don’t pretend to understand, but some things just draw the eye.  Barbara Hepworth’s Family of Man I found less appealing but, huddled there beneath the trees, I felt a certain sympathy.  The textures were beautiful.

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Next in line (groan!) Magdalena Abakanowicz’s Seated Figures, but I didn’t get the photos to do them justice.  My eye was wandering off to a small stone and glass structure, sunk in gloom upon the lawn.  The door, temptingly ajar.

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The Camelia House, and its bedraggled beauties.  White Rabbit or Mad March Hare?  I wasn’t sure, but I kept a wary eye on him.  And the horse!

And then there are the KAWS.  I don’t know that I entirely ‘get it’, but they are the reason for my presence in the park today.  An exhibition dedicated to them is set to end on 12th June, and my son is a fan.  Reading about them it seems that Brian Donnelly, a Brooklyn-based artist known as KAWS, focuses on ‘nostalgic characters in the process of growing up’.  There’s certainly pathos in his Disneyesque creations.

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At this point the mizzle was getting a little heavier and there was a fair chance of getting seriously wet.  While the others made for one of the exhibition spaces, I couldn’t abandon my pursuit of nature so easily.  I was determined to reach the lake.

At Cascade Bridge I had choices to make.  The trail around Upper Lake appeared to offer more shelter from the weather, leading down into the woods.   Persistence found its reward when, deep in the woods, I came upon this dazzling display.

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Aren’t they beautiful?  Despite the weather, or maybe because of it, I delighted in their radiance.  It was starting to get a little slippery underfoot and it was time to retrace my steps.  I had already decided that I would be back, to witness the park in all it’s Autumn finery.

We never did get to see the KAWS exhibition, much to my son’s disgust.  The Longside Gallery, where it was held, was on the far side of the park. Had I paid closer attention I would have observed the small pink shuttle bus making it’s round trip to the gallery, every 30 minutes.  Instead we contented ourselves with a quick look at the work of graphic artist Eduardo Paolozzi, and a cappuchino in the restaurant.  The deck beautifully overlooks the surrounding countryside.

Living in Leeds, our son is much closer to YSP than we are, and he intends to return this weekend.  IF he sends me any photos, I’ll share them on my Facebook page.  Meantime, you can read all about it and find details of how to get there on the YSP website.  Coffee time now, isn’t it?

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I have a wonderful selection of walks to share again this week.  Please make time to visit.  You really won’t be sorry.  Many thanks to all of you for sharing and for walking with me.  Details of how to join in are on my Jo’s Monday walk page.  A click on the logo above will take you there.

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Drake was quick off the mark this week with a very beautiful share :

For your eyes only

Then  along came Anabel, almost on my home turf!  Such a lovely place.  You’ll like it :

Lindisfarne

Meg took me gently strolling  through the streets of Warsaw, and down Memory Lane, in more ways than one :

Warsaw at dawn

I love introducing one blogging friend to another!  Susan, in California, meet Ann in the Ukraine :

Walking Chernigov, Ukraine

Jaspa shared life on an extremely grand scale, down in Buenos Aires :

Avenida 9 de Julio

Something a bit more challenging now, in a country I would love to visit.  Please go and say ‘hi’ :

Hiking in the Japanese Alps- Kamikochi to Nishi Hotaka hut

I also love reflections, shop window or otherwise :

Soho Reflections- Part 11 

Jude is the perfect companion for a garden stroll.  This one is delightful :

Garden Portrait : Bourton House

I’m reserving judgement on Denzil’s amusing walk, but I did visit Ostende, briefly, many years ago :

Walking the Belgian coast

Carol is taking us to the heights, in more ways than one, in Hawaii :

Walking up, Looking Down

If only the bench were free, I could sit with Gilly all day enjoying this one.  After our stroll, of course :

An Overbecks Stroll

That’s it for this week.  Although I’m showing you clouds, I’m happy to report that a tiny bit of sunshine has made it to north east England.  I hope to get out and enjoy it.  Take care and I’ll see you soon!

 

 

 

 

162 comments

  1. The grey background leant a special beauty to your photos – thanks for persisting. I love your first photo of the meadow with sheep around the tall silvery statue! It is surreal and the two figures seem to be floating in a wonderful way.

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    1. I’m glad you liked that one. There were a couple of shots I wasn’t going to include because they’re not very distinct with the pale skies, and that was one of them. 🙂

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  8. Nice moody skies Jo. Oh, the English weather. My son got married on Saturday, the forecast was awful but the weather was perfect. Who needs the Met Office? Not sure about those statues I have to say!

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  11. I love the tall statues, I believe you called them the molecule man. Although all are great I did love these most.. Once again Jo a lovely walk..

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      3. I did mention that we were going to be there but at that stage we hadn’t decided on an itinerary. It’s pretty much sorted now. Our daughter is living in Manchester, so we will be there first. Then she is coming to the Lakes District and Yorkshire with us. I’m also hoping to catch up with Jude in Cornwall before the northern adventure.

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  14. I loved sculptures very much, I have never seen such interesting ideas! This ball reflecting nature scene was fantastic! I found out a lot today! Thank you, Jo, for introducing Susan to me, it’s a great surprise! Hugs!

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  15. I like sculpture out doors even if the work isn’t to my taste. And I especially like the first mercurial structure among the sheep (a pelvic girdle?). The sheep do seem to bring something to the work, though now I’ve seen the skeleton connection I’m beginning to think lamb chops, which is not so good :). A great day out though, Jo. Thanks for braving the rain in the wrong shoes.

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  16. What a shame the weather wasn’t entirely on your side! But it looks like a great day anyway.
    such a wonderful mix of nature and man-made art. And you have captured it well,Jo – always a challenge without help from the weather

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  17. I’ve read about this a few times now and really must get myself there some day. We have something a bit similar in Jupiter Artland near Edinburgh which we visited last weekend. It might make it as a Monday Walk some day. In the meantime, thanks for mentioning Lindisfarne and I hope to have my final Northumbrian instalment ready for you today.

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