MARCUS JEFFERIES
The Wilderness Tower
The Wilderness Tower is a commission for Adam Williams Design to sit in the land surrounding their Somerset studios. The sculpture is located at Glastonbury Heath marshes, renowned for its peat production and spectacular wildlife habitat. Close by is an RSPB reserve which is home to an abundance of rare and indigenous birds.
Following discussions with the client, we agreed that the artwork should have a practical purpose, providing a viewing platform from which to observe the local wildlife. The structure draws inspiration from the surrounding agricultural architecture, such as water towers and bird hides, and maintains a strong connection to the surrounding environment.
In addition to referencing the local vernacular, I wanted to include my interest in geometric design and its connection to nature and landscape. The structure employs a staggered and repeated decagonal shape commonly found in natural forms such as flower petals and the patterns of cracks in the earth. The decagon also appears in many architectural monuments, such as the magnificent Tomb Towers in Iran and, closer to home, the eighteenth-century British folly. I see the artwork as a contemporary folly bridging the gap between architecture and art.
The sculpture has its genesis in 20th Century Brutalist architecture and design and serves as a continuation of that much-maligned and disappearing movement.
Available to view on request, see contact page.
The wilderness Tower is a companion piece to Outpost (2017), located at
Located at Heatherton Park Studios in Somerset. See below.
Ventures Academy Public Art Commission
Collaboration with Colin Higginson.
Commissioned by Bristol City Council for Ventures Academy in Bristol.
Our concept draws on the idea of curiosity and play being the seeds of creativity and learning. With this in mind, we have developed an environment that inspires a sense of wonder and exploration and is visually stimulating with tactile and sensory elements. Equally, we want to create installations that are sculptural, practical and possess a strong sense of design consistency.
We have focussed on the links between natural and human-made structures, particularly natural shapes found in rocks and crystals that have active sculptural elements. Engaging children in the interaction with shapes and forms are an essential part of early learning and has been shown to enhance performance on tasks such as mathematical calculations and language development.
OUTPOST
Located at Heatherton Park Studios, Bradford On Tone, Somerset, TA4 1EU. Viewing available on request (see contact page).
When I was asked to create an installation on the Somerset Levels, the image of a watchtower came immediately to mind. The thought of a sculptural structure rising above the flatness of the landscape and observing the surrounding area was very appealing. Watchtowers hold a fascination for me and have appeared in my work before, albeit in a scaled-down model form. I am fascinated by the inherent contradiction in its purpose – the sense of power through surveillance contrasted with its inhabitant’s isolation and loneliness.
Perched on scaffolding stilts, the main body of the installation is made from a timber frame and clad in reclaimed corrugated metal sheeting – a material used widely in the local area. I wanted this surface to be a form of camouflage that blends in with the industrial architecture close by - encouraging the viewer to happen across the artwork, drawn in by its ambiguous strangeness, rather than be confronted by an obvious sculptural statement.
At first glance, the structure could be mistaken for a building with some agricultural purpose, a storage silo perhaps, or a water tower. However, on closer inspection, I wanted the sculptural qualities to become evident with the referencing of modernist design and, in particular brutalist architecture. The structure also draws upon the industrial landscape photographs of Bernd and Hilla Becher, whose images transform utilitarian buildings into unique sculptural objects.
As with my previous architecturally inspired sculptures, I decided not to include windows in the structure, preferring to create a sense of intrigue and unease at the thought of what happens within. The artwork is accessed by a ladder from below, leading the viewer into a small dark room, lit only by narrow slits in the roof illuminating a sculpture of a watchtower on the boarded floor beneath.
On entering the installation, the viewer is extracted from the expansive landscape outside into a dark, meditative interior. Switching focus from the natural world to the imaginative possibilities of a psychological space inside a sculpture.