by Stuart Frost located 1986 reclaimed by the forest
By spending several months in the forest Stuart Frost was able to observe the minutiae of forest life, to discover its secluded places and to experiment with materials to hand to create forms that were more ephemeral than the major commissioned works. His Bracken Ring and Bracken Knot lasted no more than two summers, changing from bright green to brown before their eventual disintegration. The simple shapes of ring and knot were woven with great skill using a material that is very difficult to handle.
“My first thoughts on the forest left me feeling how difficult it would be to make something that would not give the impression that it was competing with its surroundings. As I actually worked in the forest I became more aware of its natural beauty and so stayed away from what might have been good sites for sculpture to be brought to and placed in.
The ideas for the works came from the materials in the first instance, but hold references to other things. I have been back to the forest a number of times and on two separate occasions people have asked me, Where is the Bracken Ring? We have looked everywhere for it, but we can’t find it. I hope people keep looking as now they are discovering things in the forest that have always been there, but which they didn’t look at or notice before.
The bracken sculptures were made by first fixing wood together to form a loop/circle; then stripped stalks of bracken were wound around and around until the desired form was reached. Working in the forest I used only what came to hand. I remember when I first started working directly in the landscape, I took so much equipment with me that I really didn’t know where to start or what to use first. It was almost like moving my studio outside, but without the plug sockets.”
Stuart Frost