An interactive installation that encourages visitors of all ages and abilities to channel their inner Vanbrugh and have a go at building on a grand scale.
A new version of Playshapes created for Castle Howard as part of their Vanbrugh 300 celebrations that includes a new painted interior and five foam Playshapes. John Vanbrugh designed Castle Howard 300 years ago, but remarkably this was the first building he ever designed! By all accounts, Vanbrugh was a lively character and a radical spirit. During his lifetime he was a wine merchant, political activist and prison, feminist, playwright and architect. He was incredibly creative in both art and life and didn’t seem constrained by the social rules or architectural conventions of the time. He created spaces that went way beyond function, using shadow and light to create dynamic spaces that were full of drama and suspense.
My favourite architectural feature is the arch which can be found all over Castle Howard – as domes, windows and especially archways that lead you through spaces. They create layers and depth – like a stage set that unfolds as you move through it.
My installation is in the Colonnade which was gutted in the fire of 1940. It actually used to be two separate rooms: the top space was a study-cum-drawing room call the Little Gallery and the bottom space provided access from the garden. The bottom space actually has 6 doors and 6 niches but most of these have been covered up by some temporary boarding. However references to these and to the Playshapes have been made through the paintwork on the walls.
Playshapes are giant foam cubes that can be broken down into prisms, polygons and cylinders for visitors to reassemble into towers, follies and dens or whatever else they can imagine. A chance to build on a grand scale playing with form, colour and space.
Find out more at Castle Howard.
Playshapes were supplied by Timberplay.
