Natasha Rosling, 2019
“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed delving into the forest, its geology and human history during the development of Threshold. The stories and perspectives of all the people I’ve worked with during its making continue to inspire me and have been central to the work. I’m looking forward to seeing how Threshold evolves with the rhythms of its surroundings over time, offering an embodied place to pause and sense the forest.”
Natasha Rosling
Threshold is a new permanent sculpture by artist Natasha Rosling sited by a sheltered woodland pond. Inspired by the ancient history of mining beneath the surface of the Forest of Dean, Threshold’s large interlocking walls take a crevice-like form that visitors can walk through and immerse themselves within.
The artist spent time at Clearwell Caves, an historic iron and ochre mine, to take moulds of hidden underground rock faces marked with the impressions of pickaxe marks and dynamite blasts. A large formwork was then constructed on site in the forest, lined with a patchwork of these moulds. Over a period of one month, pigmented concrete was poured in stages to form vivid red ochre walls that boldly contrast with the woodland backdrop.
Threshold was funded by the Forest and Tewkesbury Borough LEADER programme, part of the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development: Europe investing in rural areas. Additional funding from the Garfield Weston Foundation and Arts Council England. With thanks to Clearwell Caves and TARMAC.
About the Artist
Natasha Rosling studied at Camberwell College, Chelsea College, the Sandberg Institute, Amsterdam and Vision Forum, Linkoping University. She uses installation, audio and experience design to explore the myriad of ways we make sense of mortality. Her work deals with the porous boundaries between the interior spaces of the body and the outside environment, and she is fascinated by the ambiguities of what it means to ‘be’ a body. Recent work includes a collaboration with Vilma Luostarinen on a series of food-based experiences at We the Curious Bristol, Techniska Museet Stockholm, Hestercombe Gallery, and Exeter University. More information on Rosling’s work and process can be found on her website:
