Towered

A temporary architectural intervention within the grounds of Mellerstain House. ’Towered’ emerges from the curved walls of the ruin of the old laundry near the beck, its column-like forms standing over eight metres high.

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.