by Magdalena Jetelova located 1986
Commanding a magnificent view of the Cannop Valley this structure is placed like a huge throne, or sits like a giant surveying his territory. Recalling the prehistoric structures of Stonehenge, the sculpture appears already to have stood for centuries. With its irregular stance it is also reminiscent of a strange animal in one of Grimm’s Fairy Tales, striding across the landscape.
“Right from the start I worked with objects, first with a table, then came windows. But I do not make objects, my work is always about something else. What matters is not the object itself but something different from what we see. I am interested in placing a particular sculpture in different environments, into different contexts.
My sculptures go for the basics. I am interested in getting through to the essence, to reach the origins. That is why I am fascinated by the Middle Ages.
I have often thought what a perfect image the cross is. It is a very simple symbol. I am interested in the most basic signs: I want to extract the idea they contain and take it still further.
I do not go for a formal approach. Nothing I produce is made in a formal way. What matters immensely for me is the content. I fill all my sculptures with content. I project life into objects. I project a given situation at a certain time and in a specific place.
I am talking about changes in reality. Everything has several levels, there are always several possibilities.”
Magdalena Jetelova, Summer 1986