An Open Air Exhibition of Sculpture in Battersea Park

For this Festus project we worked in partnership with Wandsworth Council to develop proposals and temporary artworks  exhibited on the vacant site of Hepworth’s Single Form Memorial within Battersea Park. Single Form Memorial was  on loan for a temporary exhibition in Summer 2022.

Barbara Hepworth made Single Form Memorial in response to the death of a friend, Dag Hammarskjöld, Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1953-61. The bronze in Battersea was cast from a plaster prototype to be exhibited as part of London County Council's (LCC) Battersea Park 'Sculpture: Open-air Exhibition', held from May-September 1963. This 1963 ‘Open-air Exhibition’ was the last in a series of exhibitions first proposed in 1946 by Patricia Strauss, a civil servant and vice chair of the London County Council Parks. Her idea was part of a wider moment of reimagining Britain after the end of the Second World War and reflected a post-war shift from commemorative sculpture and architectural enrichment to an idea of public sculpture as a primarily aesthetic contribution to the public realm.

Prepare for the commissioning processes of professional practice

Reflect on the changing functions of art in the public sphere

Support responses to the political, historical and formal context of site

Consider the wider legacy of Barbara Hepworth’s work within a contemporary context

Engage with the different visitors and audiences that use the park

Work collaboratively and collectively to propose a public programme of talks and group proposals for the vacant site of Dame Hepworth’s sculpture: Single Form Memorial

The Festus programme had contributions from Anna Vickery (Wandsworth Council’s Arts Programme and Partnership Manager) and Hannah Lambert (RCA’s Community Engagement Manager) as well as those involved in the wider activities of Battersea Park, including Neil Blackley, Head of Parks and The Friends of Battersea Park. Jaspar Joseph-Lester and Joanne Tatham will draw on their own research within the sphere of situated and public art practice to provide a wider creative and intellectual framing for the week’s activities.

By Gabriel Mansfield, Shirley Renwick, Yuqing Shi and Yue Yin.

On display from week commencing 6 June 2022.

This sensory dome has been inspired by the circular void that punctuates Barbara Hepworth’s Single Form (Memorial) sculpture. The dome provides multiple viewpoints to witness the activity of the surrounding area, by peering through to the opposite side or upon the tessellated mirror surface. The form of the structure echoes prehistoric human round houses or bird nests – where perhaps a sense of security stems from the ability to look out in all directions. The voids allow the environment to pass through – light and wind, flora and fauna. The dome is entirely constructed from recycled or repurposed materials. From the 3-metre steel frame that once sat in a children’s playground, to the mirror cladding that once lined the hallways of the Royal College of Art. The Locuscope amalgamates the word ‘locus’ with the suffix ‘scope' to describe a device that encourages a contemplative examination of its location.

By Blythe Plenderleith, Carlota Bulgari, Junchao Ren, Ioana Maria Sisea, Sarra Badel and Ziwei Wang.

On display from week commencing 4 July 2022.

This project plays with the viewer’s perception of absence and presence using the technique of lenticular printing. The sculpture deals with ideas of memory, time and nostalgia, as images appear from one angle but become invisible from another.

By Francesca Dobbe, Shiyao Liu, Christopher Simpson, Annie Trevorah, Yunpeng Wang and Jasmin Saya Young.

On display from week commencing 25 July 2022.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the completion of Hepworth’s Single Form (Memorial) in February 1962 – Memorial For A Memorial installation will pay tribute to Hepworth through a concept based on the empty space left behind from the absent sculpture. Drawing inspiration from the negative space, the group focuses on the hole/circle as a window to nature to maximise the view across the lake and by incorporating a shaped bench, the sculpture invites interaction from the public. The bold red structure is made from recycled wood.

Celebrate the unveiling of Memorial For A Memorial with RCA students and a special guest for a poetry reading and open mic session in Battersea Park on 28 July. More event information can be found here, via Eventbrite.

By Irena Posner, Aliya Orr, Duoduo Huang, Veronica Smith and Yuanze Che.

Starting from Barbara Hepworth’s ideas around utopian, spiritual and metaphysical relationships of humanity to nature, Making Marks will explore animal interactions with the arts through a vertical grass-based sculpture that dogs can engage with on their daily walk through Battersea Park.

By Jacob Talkowski, Alice Dawson and Rachel Bungey.

On display from 27 September – 17 October 2022.

This piece is a series of three laser cut acrylic mirror sheets held in the open air above a ‘platform’ by individual industrial steel scaffolding tubes. The group hopes by bringing the local natural world of the park into focus, they will help break down the climate crisis from a large structural issue to something local and relevant to a group who may be dealing with strong feelings of climate anxiety. 

Photography Project with A Level Students

We aimed to create shapes which flow with and reflect the rich biodiversity of Battersea Park. The shape of the mirrors are based on the shape of the lake and we tried to create an artwork that would draw attention to the nature of the park rather than sitting inside of it. This gorgeous park is for us all to use but it is also home to bats, cormorants, as of this year tawny owls, robins, black birds, ducks, paraquetes, butterflies, crickets, thrushes, toads, foxes, carp, tench and many other species of fish, bird and insect throughout the park to Name a few. However The biodiversity doesn’t end at the fauna of the the park but includes a variety of flora, where the sculpture itself is surrounded by chestnut, magnolia, holly and dog wood trees, english ivy and euphorbia. 