Our World Tuesday Week 12 took me to the little town of Craven Arms, which calls itself the Gateway to the Shropshire Hills. The Secret Hills Discovery Centre takes you 4,500 million years back in time. There are exhibitions and displays and when you've had enough of lectures and a wonderful hot air balloon flight over the awe-inspiring Shropshire Hills in the company of our erstwhile Shropshire Hills neighbour, Pete Postlethwaite, you can refresh yourself with food and drink, all under the same grass-covered roof.
The outdoors isn't bad either; miles of wonderful meadows, hills and marshland, with a river running through, are yours for the price of a sturdy pair of boots and a walking stick. And if you have a dog to come with you, so much the better.
Nearest to the Discovery Centre is a large nature reserve and here artists are encouraged to display sculptures made from natural, mainly found, materials. The exhibits are left for nature to play with and if nature decides that their lifetime has come to a natural end, then so be it.
Two Fingers Up To Art?
No, a lot of fingers.
A wind harp?
I've heard it play. It clatters rather unmelodiously, but the sounds are interesting.
Better is the play of light and shadow on the wooden planks, as they move in
the wind.
A fish head in the trees.
A whole tree of fishes.
A colourful arrangement of drum-like shapes.
Perhaps the birds play them when they come for the holly berries.
I don't know what the last two sculptures represent
but I recognise the dog.
This is one of nature's own sculptures:
I can see a toad with golden pond algae still clinging to him.
I think this rock will still be here when all the other
exhibits have long withered away.
This place reminds me of Coed Hills, which is worth a visit if you ever venture to South Wales:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.coedhills.co.uk/
Whenever I visit, the art is not what I remember. I'm always too distracted by the trees, and often still traumatised from having to use a long-drop instead of a flushing toilet.
oo this is so cool...nature will interest with it too and change some of them overtime so it will always be fresh...thanks for the outing this was way cool
ReplyDeleteI wonder if there is a white rabbit because this trail seems to have a real Alice in Wonderland feeling: fish in trees, a fairy ring of fingers and something that looks like a levitating giant paint box. I love it.
ReplyDeleteAnna
Hello:
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing place the Discovery Centre looks to be. We cannot recall it during our years in Herefordshire so it is, perhaps, comparatively new. Whatever, some wonderful and exciting exhibits set in glorious countryside.
Perversely, we actually love the hut housing the wind harp rather more than the harp itself. That tin roof and weathered supports are, in our view, simply wonderful. The fish too, out of water and climbing trees, are great fun so too are the suspended drum-like shapes.
These are really cool, reminds me of visiting the Isamu Nogucci Museum in Long Island City, then walking to the city park nearby where artists did outdoor sculptures.
ReplyDeleteAre you familiar with Andy Goldsworthy? Great artist who works outdoors with organic materials.
What a fun place. As interesting as all the art is, I think I prefer that stone frog.
ReplyDeleteOh, what fun! I like the wind harp and the fish, but especially Nature's own stone frog. There's a place not far from where I live that is a huge outdoor Art Park, the difference being that the materials are not organic, though some seem to have sprung organically from the earth. Wonderful discovery!
ReplyDeleteIt is always interesting for me to see how artists can take materials and create whole new shapes and textures. In this case, because they had to use natural materials, I think the artwork fit in nicely!
ReplyDeleteThis is all so HOT! Thanks for the share!
ReplyDeleteWhat a delightful place! Thanks for the introduction.
ReplyDeleteYou have so many cool things close to where you live. Thanks once again for sharing.
ReplyDeleteA magical place. I love that they just leave the art to the forces of nature. And I think you're right...that rock will outlast it all. ;)
ReplyDeleteYour photos take me on the trips with you. Out of my comfort zone and into magic landscapes
ReplyDeleteThese pictures are so good, I feel like I've been there with you. And I agree with so many other others that the beauty of the last one is perfection itself. :-)
ReplyDeleteWhat an adventure!
ReplyDeleteThe last is Benno, looking up out of the ground. See him?
I love it, esp. the wind harp. See any crop circles?!?
ReplyDeleteWhat a marvellous place. Thank you so much for taking me there. My favourites are the fish and the frog - and I suspect you are right about the longevity of the frog.
ReplyDeleteI love these. That fish tree is really well done as are so many others. I can imagine it in all types of weather and times of day.. ever changing.
ReplyDeleteI liked the fish tree. When I saw the stone in the last picture I immediately saw a partial head of a bear before I read your caption.
ReplyDeleteI think the unknown one is a chickadee. What a fabulous place to stroll with your camera in hand. Your shots are amazing...love how your present one of something and then in the best shot all of them. This is a beautiful post and cleverly presented. genie
ReplyDeletehow very cool is that!
ReplyDeleteThis place looks amazing. Awww, I miss Pete Postlethwaite, we lost a good'un there!
ReplyDeleteDi
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What a wonderful space. Thanks to LuceWoman, I also checked out CoedHills, another terrific spot. Are you familiar with Andy Goldsworthy? Scotch I believe, and a genius at creating art from nature.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting, and very unusual.
ReplyDeleteWonderful stuff!! I love the out-of-the-usual such as these pieces. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteWow - I do love outdoor art. Your photos are stunning!
ReplyDeleteThat whole tree of fishes is for me a great work of art. I love to see it for real. Whoever did that is really passionate of his craft.
ReplyDeletelovely post.
ReplyDeletePhilosophically it's quite interesting, the idea of leaving art to decay. Mostly art is conserved even when perhaps it was originally only meant to be temporary. This applies even more to objects. At the wonderful mechanical musical museum in Brentford they PLAY the stuff. They told us that one fantastic musical box was given to them rather htan to the V & A because the owner knew the V & A would never play it but the musical museum would. And musical boxes are meant to be played.
ReplyDeleteWhat a bizarre collection! The wind harp is my favourite - if only it was downunder, I'd give it the Red Nomad OZ treatment!!
ReplyDeleteWere you able to test it out??
Dear Friko,
ReplyDeleteAs you suggest, the beauty of the stone will most likely outlast all the other objects that decorate the setting. Anne Morrow Lindbergh, poet and pilot, has said, "For beauty, for significance, it's space we need. And since we have no space today in which to frame the act, the face of beauty, it's no longer beautiful."
So for me it is the space around the art that often offers me the beauty of the object that presents itself to me.
That moss on the stone speaks to me too.
Thank you for these lovely photographs.
Peace.
I love the tree full of fishes. And you're right, the rock will be there long after everything else is gone.
ReplyDeleteKay, Alberta, Canada
An Unfittie’s Guide to Adventurous Travel
once again, a lovely trip through your bit of Britain. I think the unidentified sculture (with the familiar dog) looks like a birthing stool, although it must be for a very tall woman. The frog is the best of all. Sounds as if you had a great day. Good for you. Dianne
ReplyDeletePS I love Pete Postlethwaite. His nose is wonderful.
Wonderful pieces of art but I much prefer the art of nature - I too could see the toad.
ReplyDeleteI've still not been to Craven Arms, I must go there....
ReplyDelete"artists are encouraged to display sculptures made from natural, mainly found, materials." What a wonderful idea that is, in the first place, and what a splendid collection of imaginative results.
ReplyDeletei love your final comment about the rock - still i do think that public art should use nature, and that for the most part these pieces do that
ReplyDeleteNot the drums so much, but there you go
This is all totally brilliant. I loved every image, even the wind harp. The tree of fishes is stunning. Many thanks for showing all this. Delightful.
ReplyDeleteOh I love the sculptures!! Such a wonderful place!
ReplyDeleteHugs
SueAnn
I generally love "natural" art put out in the woods or near a nature center. Must admit, though, that I don't feel much for the couple of sculptures in the photo where the dog is the only recognizable thing.
ReplyDeleteAh, but look at art, evincing from me an emotional response!
What an intriguing place. I love the sound of the hot air balloon ride, too! Since rocks and I are kindred spirits, my soul always answers their call and the fact that this one comes disguised as a frog makes it doubly appealing, since I love frogs, too.
ReplyDeleteThis is an extremely interesting place to visit, I bet, under different light or weather conditions. Art that is made of natural substances like wood or stone, is lovely and primal. How lucky you are to be near.
ReplyDeletefun art and setting, Friko;
ReplyDeleteI must say that the 'frog' is my favorite too!
Aloha from Honolulu
Comfort Spiral
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What a fabulous, fabulous place. I'd so love to visit there!
ReplyDeleteThat would be a great place to visit with children.
ReplyDeleteI have to say that I like Nature's sculpture best.
Now I have an almost insurmountable urge to go hang something weird in my backyard.
ReplyDeleteFriko, I saw that toad in the stone immediately.
ReplyDeleteI wonder how often new art work is added to this interesting place, and what one must do to get permission. Or perhaps the process is more informal?
I think Craven Arms is a very intriguing name for a place. So many different meanings could be attached to those two words.
xo
I must admit I was very taken with the dog , and really liked the fish . How marvellous to have such a place within striking distance .
ReplyDelete(Of course , you probably see the dog rather more often.)
I didn't expect this and I really enjoyed it. In particular, I liked the fish tree and the wind harp. Though unmelodious, I'd still love to listen in.
ReplyDeleteMy favourite is the toad. The wind harp would look a lot better without the horrible rusty corrugated roof.
ReplyDeleteQuite fascinating --love the wicker thingies and the wind harp -- but the rock is the best.
ReplyDeletei wish i could go there and take wonderful pictures
ReplyDelete