No More Land Art on Clougha

No More Land Art on Clougha, originally uploaded by escher1.

I've been following the work of artist Richard Shilling. He's a Land Artist, similar to Andy Goldsworthy. In fact he acknowledges that, studying Goldsworthy's work and using it as a launching pad for new ideas.

He has recently done some wonderful sculptures on Clougha, a looming hill to the south east of Lancaster and where there is already a large sculpture by Goldsworthy.

However, the owners of the land, Abbeystead Estate, have instructed that all Richard's work be dismantled and none be newly constructed.

There's got to be a way for this to be resolved. Land Art is a wonderfully free art - public art in the best sense. Galleries can't sell it, traders can't deal in it. In money terms, it's worthless. But Richard's work, in the shapes he builds, in the settings he chooses, is priceless.