'Arch'
Oak -Carved and constructed
2.25 metres tall
Cragside Grounds Northumberland
National Trust 2002
One of three gateway pieces for the labyrinth at
Cragside estate.
I wanted to build with timber as if it were stone, to
introduce imagery from architecture more usually
associated with masonry. This is how I arrived at
the Roman arch complete with keystone; although
the keystone here might also be a wedge as used
for splitting timber. Is it holding the two
halves together or trying to force them apart? A
Roman arch in itself would have been rather
static and not very interesting so I decided to
invest this one with an alter ego. One end is
striving to maintain its dignity as a classical
arch whilst the other end seems to be trying to
wriggle off to do something else.
