Jupiter Artland offers more wonders in the woods

Saturday 18 August 2012

Jupiter, the planet named after the big boss god of Roman mythology, is a long way away from Earth.

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Jupiter Artland in West Lothian is the perfect destination for those inspired by contemporary art and the power of nature, writes Jan Patience

Jupiter, the Artland, is a lot closer to home, near the small village of Wilkieston in West Lothian.

Owned by Nicky and Robert Wilson, Jupiter Artland has been open to the public since 2009. Robert, head of family homeopathic business Nelsons, and his wife, a graduate in sculpture from Camberwell School of Art, bought Bonnington House and its grounds in 2001. The Jacobean building in which they live is thought to be on a site where a number of ley lines converge. It is also said to have connections to the Knights Templar and, with both of these factors in mind, in 2004 the couple embarked on an ongoing voyage of engagement with the land over which they have temporary stewardship.

The result is an art experience that takes visitors off on their own quiet flight of fancy, during which they stumble upon work by contemporary art stars such as Nathan Coley, Alec Finlay, Laura Ford, Anya Gallaccio, Andy Goldsworthy, Antony Gormley, Ian Hamilton Finlay, Charles Jencks, Anish Kapoor, Jim Lambie, Peter Liversidge, Cornelia Parker, Marc Quinn, Shane Waltener and Henry Castle.Each year brings new commissions, and new light is shed on the quiet spaces and places around Jupiter Artland. This summer, to coincide with the Edinburgh Art Festival, new work has been unveiled by Paisley-born Gallaccio, acclaimed land artist Goldsworthy and British sculptor Tania Kovats.Gallaccio's impressive new work, Light Shines Out Of Me, consists of a three-square-metre underground chamber clad in amethyst crystals mined in Brazil and surrounded by a sleek black top layer of obsidian volcanic glass, collected by the artist in the US. This sepulchre-like installation, set within woodland, chills to the bone as you step down a number of stairs and inside its glittering interior chamber. Beautiful and icy cold, it had me shivering and contemplating my mortality, despite the dappled reminders above my head of a perfect Scottish summer's day. Gallaccio's other work here, Red On Green, is a still life of 10,000 red roses a la American Beauty, installed in the gallery at the centre of Jupiter Artland, now fading into a rust-coloured blanket of decaying memories.Also installed in woodland is Andy Goldsworthy's fourth and final work, and the setting suits it perfectly. Coppice Room is just what it says on the tin: a room in a shed, which is inhabited by tree trunks from floor to ceiling. Goldsworthy's aim is to make viewers feel "as though you are entering not just a dense wood, but the tree itself".Just as the artist's other works here take your breath away with the sheer power of an idea made flesh, this works on several levels. Goldsworthy knows nature has the last laugh. Just as by placing boulders in trees, stones unevenly in a house made from local stone, or examining how roots force their way through soil, he puts mankind firmly in its place.The third new work, by Tania Kovats, is also inspired by the power of nature, albeit in a softer, more aesthetically pleasing fashion. Rivers, sited along the banks of a loch, quietly glows with the sparkle of 100 specimens of water from 100 rivers around the British Isles. Kovats collected and distilled the river water into sealed, museum-quality, teardrop-style jars of differing sizes with jaunty orange tops, and has stored them inside a new wooden boathouse. On the outside, just as you enter, all the names of the rivers (including the Clyde and the Piddle) are carved into the wood. With its whitewashed interior, the water below creates dancing shadows on the specimens that are laid out on the same level. They reminded me of a large family, all in steps and stairs, ready for a close-up.In many ways, Jupiter Artland is the stuff of romantic landscape painting, in a bright new context. Amidst the beautiful setting, there is darkness and there is light. Nature always wins.It is an art lover's dream day out. My own personal favourite was Ian Hamilton Finlay's Only Connect, at Gala Hill Wood, a small Northumbrian limestone arch bridge flanked by two milestones inscribed with EM Forster's famous last words from his novel, Howards End: "only connect". It made my heart beat faster and made perfect sense. Days later, I'm still thinking about. I'd say that was a result.Jupiter Artland, Bonnington House Steadings, near Wilkieston, Edinburgh (01506 889900, www.jupiterartland.org) until September 16

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Jupiter Artland offers more wonders in the woods

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