Tatton Park Biennial Flights of Fancy set to depart following an unprecedented season. 

Record number of visitors have enjoyed this year’s edition engaging with the Flights of Fancy theme in extraordinary ways.

Examining the human urge to fly and the aeronautical legacy of Tatton Park and the region, the 2012 edition of the Biennial has incorporated brand new commissions amongst which appear a crash-landed spaceship, a human size rook’s nest and a suspension bridge held aloft by giant helium balloons

Already over 250,000 visitors to Tatton’s parkland have experienced double `double takes’ with the unexpected sights of a crash-landed flying saucer and the fuselage of a commercial aeroplane – both astonishing pieces of visual art. The Biennial has received lots of media coverage and many favorable, comments from visitors, here are just a few....

Best Biennial yet. This had purpose, romance.

Really enjoyed discovering the artwork. Really well curated and added a magical element to this visit. Challenging and inspirational.

Well done! - what a fantastic show. Loved it all!

Wonderful, twins aged 8, loved every minute of the exhibits- Grandma

Tatton’s gardens have showcased ten of the commissions and have been home to what must be the most remarkable artwork:- Olivier Grossetête’s Pont de Singe (below) at the Japanese garden is a masterpiece of design and engineering – a 15 metre long bridge held aloft by three helium balloons. 

In total 20 commissions have been sited throughout the Tatton estate since the Biennial opened May 11. The Mansion has been the venue for four of the more intricate pieces including skeletal space fairies in the Amber Bedroom (below) and a film with a commissioned musical score played in the Music Room.

Since May hundreds of families and over 150 students from local schools have experienced and participated in the Biennial through its Contact Programme. Funded in part by the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Contact Programme has been hugely successful in promoting greater access to the Biennial through participation and education via a series of projects, events, workshops, audio guides, interactive signage and a specially developed app and family learning pack.

There are just a few days left to experience the 2012 Tatton Park Biennial, running until September 30 there is still a chance to see this year's artworks with a private tour of the estate and also a musical performance in Tatton’s Mansion featuring a new collaboration inspired by Aura Satz’s stunning Music Room installation - both will take place on the closing weekend- Saturday and Sunday September 29 and 30

Many of the Biennial works will be moving on to new venues over the coming months, but their absence from the Park, Mansion and Gardens will be felt! Not to fear – we are already planning new works for a 2014 edition!”

For more information visit: www.tattonparkbiennial.org

RHS Round Up!

The RHS show was soon in full swing after a glorious spell of sunny weather, and Tatton’s garden team were in high spirits having been awarded a Silver Gilt for their entry ‘A flight of Fancy’.

Linking in with the Tatton Park Arts Biennial 2012, the imaginative concept behind the garden design is that the last Baron Egerton, who collected plants and garden styles from many continents, including the famous Japanese Garden, sent plant material to other countries, including pea and bean cultivators to his estate in Kenya. Combining  his passion for plants with his interests in exploration, early radio cars, and was a pioneer aviator it helped launch our concept for the 1930’s style rocket, landing on a desolate planet where 1000’s of seeds spill out onto the baron land and flourished into a mass of colour.

What went into the show...

The build took 2 weeks from start to finish, and much of the garden’s features were grown or recycled from Tatton’s own gardens including 3-4 tonnes of the rocks and boulders that make up the Moongate!

Since we started growing the plant species in early May we have nurtured them daily to ensure they are at their best for the show.

We have lots of varieties of plants and vegetables in the garden this year ...see if you can spot them! They include pineapple plants from Tatton’s very own Pineapple house! We also have bananas, cannas, runner beans and cucumbers – all from our conservatory, and palms from our fernery...

...We even have a small rock pool which represents life on the flourishing side of the garden.

Simon (far right) with Head gardener Simon Tetlow (centre) and Bob Buckley (far left)

By Simon Kellet, Garden Team member

If you visited the show this year we would love to hear your comments about your personal show highlights and your thoughts on Cheshire East’s exhibit by the Tatton Garden team.  Leave us your comments below!

For more info on Tatton Parks garden click here.

A Day in the life of Tatton Park Biennial Volunteer.

Tatton’s 2012 Biennial is coming up soon and the artists involved are well underway with production for their piece. One of those artist is Aura Satz, who’s piece is embedded with the ornaments, patterns and music of Tatton hall itself. As one of the volunteers at the Biennial I had the chance to work as a runner and work behind the scene checking out some of the filming that will appear in the final piece.

Since graduating in 2010 in photography I have be volunteering at art events to gain experience from within the industry. The opportunity to work along side the Tatton park Biennial came about after sending the curators (Danielle Arnaud and Jordan Kaplan) an email, following a visit to the 2010 Biennial. So far I have been find the experiences interesting whilst gaining skills and insight to the industry.

Aura’s piece for the biennial explores rooms up close and personal, taking the small patterns from around tables, mirrors, bookshelves as well as the intricate strings of instruments. The camera seems to follow the natural path of such a piece, creating a delicate and intimate portrait of one of most well known rooms at Tatton Hall. Although they seem beautifully simple, the way in which pieces like this are actually achieved is not. Boxes and boxes of equipment were needed from Bevis (the camera man) to receive the look and correct positioning of the camera was, sometimes, down to the cm.

Two (extremely talented) musicians played the harpsichord and one of the pianos from the house. Filming was focused on the movement of the strings as they where playing. Seeing this part of the movement close up gave you a completely different view of the instrument.  It makes you realize how much intricacy is needed to make such instruments and the movement of the strings almost hypnotizing.  This, a long with the music from composer Larry Goves, was truly an amazing opportunity and one I am very grateful to have had the chance to experience. As well as getting the chance to see behind the scene process I have gained better understand to the needs of artists and the development of pieces.

Remember to visit Tatton Park Biennial where you can see the final piece from the 12^TH May.  I promise the piece will change the way you see the music room.

Up In The Air

Olivier Grossetete 'Pont de Singe'

It was surprisingly warm and beautiful at Tatton Park yesterday. And it was a good job too, because artist Olivier Grossetete (who arrived on Wednesday) from Marseille, France was meeting the Biennial team to discuss his artwork proposal, ‘Pont de Singe’ (meaning rope bridge). You have to agree, his imagination is fantastic, because he wants to create the impossible; an elongated, wooden, rope bridge, suspended in the air by three, giant, helium-filled balloons, which will rise and fall with the elements.

Biennial curators, Danielle Arnaud and Jordan Kaplan are seen here talking on the bridge with Olivier and structural engineer, Toby Savage about the logistics involved for creating an artwork of this magnitude. 

Whilst discussions continued at the Golden Brook, something caught my attention in the corner of my eye. It was Simon Tetlow, Garden Team Supervisor of Tatton Park floating passed in a rowing boat. He casually moored up, disappeared amongst the shrubs and later joined us to offer his expertise and to answer any questions we had. Protecting the gardens, wildlife and surrounding areas was high on our the agenda, as well as creating an artwork that was structurally safe and sound, whilst allowing Olivier’s idea to reach it’s full potential.

Given the Biennial's theme 'Flights of Fancy' and with this proposal in mind, Olivier Grossetete reminds me of those inventors and mathematicians who created wings for their arms and constructed marvellous flying contraptions, all of whom shared the one dream, and that was to take to the skies. 

I would (seriously) return to this blog if you are interested in reading and seeing how this artwork goes up in the air.

Debbie Chan, Project Manager for Tatton Park Biennial debbie@tattonparkbiennial.org

Return of Tatton Park Biennial

Firstly, I want to introduce myself. My name is Debbie and I'm new to this blog, new to Tatton Park and new to working on Tatton Park Biennial 2012. For those who haven't heard of the Biennial before, it is a contemporary art event that takes place every other year and artists are commissioned to create site-specific artworks within and around the landscaped gardens and inside the estate. If you're familiar with the Biennial or it's starting to ring bells, you might remember the art installation in 2010 called Evacuate created by artist Kate MccGwire, where thousands of locally sourced bird feathers weaved through and consumed the kitchen. It was a piece, even my mother-in-law remembers and talks about today, because she found it both haunting and beautiful.

Juneau Projects, Gleaners of the Infocalypse, The Long Wood

Anyhow, you will be pleased to hear that the Biennial is returning to your park, opening to the public on Saturday 12th May. The theme is Flights of Fancy, where artworks will refer to Tatton Park's aeronautical legacy, as well as the human urge to fly. Did you know that during the Second World War, Tatton's parkland played a major role in the training of RAF paratroopers and the grounds were used for test parachute jumps? Lord Maurice Egerton of Tatton was even described to have been "an innovator, a man of great inventive and technical skill, a pioneer aviator, photographer and filmmaker", so it makes sense for this year's Biennial to explore these themes. 

Artists duo, Philip Duckworth and Ben Sadler, known as Juneau Projects plan to transform a decommissioned aeroplane into an iconic sculpture called Gleaners of the Infocalypse. Yes, you heard correctly. Half an aircraft, no longer needed for service, will take on a new life here at Tatton Park. The very thought of it arriving excites me and I think it will look oddly spectacular amongst the peaceful, rural landscape. Watch this blog for more updates.

Over the next few months, you will hear more from the Biennial team, because we want to give you an insight on what we get up to, who we meet, how we work closely with Tatton Park staff and the challenges we are faced with when commissioning artworks for the park. Having spent a year on maternity leave, I am thrilled to be back and taking on the role of Biennial Project Manager. The bringing together of creative experts and professionals from various backgrounds to create art and educational events in response to the rich landscape, heritage and history dating back to medieval times, you have to agree is a very exciting time for Tatton Park.

Join our mailing list http://www.tattonparkbiennial.org/contacts to receive latest news and updates about the Biennial or follow us on twitter @tpbiennial or facebook tattonparkbiennial


Debbie Chan, Project Manager for Tatton Park Biennial debbie@tattonparkbiennial.org

A (n)Ice Arrival...

I am a Craftsman Gardener, with responsibility for the Japanese Garden. However, over the last couple of weeks I have been working with the artists installing their artworks for Tatton Park Biennial 2010, which opens on 8 May.

My work has mainly been putting things in place, including helping Jamie Shovlin transport his shed and audio/visual equipment to the corner of Tower Wood and moving the technical equipment and scaffolding for Austin Houldsworth's fossilisation machine. I also transported Jem Finer’s shed and ‘the orb’ – a very fragile globe camera obscura, on the back of the tractor and trailer – every time I hit a bump my heart was in my mouth! I also helped load and unload and transport Fiona Curran’s tree house and pruned some of the lower branches of the Pine tree before they put the tree house into place. I also helped install the small cinema near the Maze, transporting it on the back of the tractor – it was about 3 tonnes in weight, I also needed to go very slowly again!

Last Monday was the most nail-biting experience when the 2 tonne block of glacial ice arrived – this is artist Neville Gabie’s piece. The ice is 10,000 years old and was brought from Greenland, transported by ship, boat and lorry to Tatton. It was then up to me to drive it on the back of the trailer (see picture) down to its position near Golden Brook. This was all whilst the BBC camera crew were filming and I was trying not to shatter it. Again, this was a moment to drive the tractor very carefully! I couldn’t go any faster than slow in very low gear. It then took a very long time, virtually to the end of the day, to try and lift and slide the ice into place. There were about eight pairs of hands trying to fit the ice and the glass surrounding it into the structure. I’ve really enjoyed being involved in the Biennial and am looking forward to seeing everything complete ready for the opening.

For more information about the Biennial visit www.tattonparkbiennial.org

Geoff Horrocks, Craftsman Gardener