Scattered

‘Scattered’ is a series of spheres that appear to float like huge, opaque bubbles on the surface of the lake, punctuating one of the most known and impressive views in a sweeping line from the main house across to the Hundy Mundy folly on the horizon, and offering new views and perspectives. Between two and four metres in diameter, these pure white shapes disrupt the wide-open space of the water and play with its scale, surface and light, bringing a sense of scale to the landscape.

Combining historic features with bold, contemporary sculptural practice on a vast scale, Messam establishes a lively dialogue between past and present, adding an unexpected and temporary new dimension to familiar vistas and architecture. All white in colour, the works are a contemporary echo of the marble sculptures that were originally envisaged to adorn Mellerstain’s grounds. Though the two buildings within which the works sit might now appear like follies in a state of partial ruin, they did originally serve a purpose, although some mystery surrounds their precise use at certain times and it is not entirely certain what is apocryphal. Messam extends this uncertain history with new narratives, playing with their inherent sense of magic.