Check out the sculpture trail @ Chelsea Barracks

It’s been a little while since I’ve last visited, but this morning I again made it over to check out the sculpture trail @ Chelsea Barracks, London. Last time I was there it was July, the mornings were bright and objects were freshly illuminated by the sun. The trail has since been modified, old sculptures have moved on and new ones have moved in. Unfortunately they were a bit tricky to photograph with a mobile phone at dawn, hence the lack of sharpness and definition. Anyway, here are some of the sculptures on show this time around that I found of interest.

Check out sculpture trails @ Chelsea Barracks - Profile Heads by Paul Vanstone - Garden Room Style

Profile Heads in Portuguese marble by Paul Vanstone, 2022. Rather interesting reading about the curators Marshall Murray’s reasoning behind the placement of this art object. It ain’t small at 330 x 300 x 120 cm therefore required a space where it would stand out and not be crowded. Garrison Square was deemed suitable as “big things make spaces feel small and large … (items) … make the place feel larger and grander”. Note the striking veins of the marble.

Check out the sculpture trail @ Chelsea Barracks - Black Palm by Douglas White - Garden Room Style

Black Palm made from exploded tyres and steel by Douglas White, 2022. The artist was inspired by the sight of diseased, industrially grown palm trees being set alight when in Belize. These burnt and twisted forms impacted and inspired him to create this series of charred trees from exploded tyres found on roadsides throughout the country. Such a great idea to recycle waste. In addition – as I’ve noted before, charred is now a hot trend for garden decor.

Tunisian black marble torsos - Paul Vanstone - Garden Room Style

Tunisian black marble torsos, Paul Vanstone, 2022. How striking this black marble with gold coloured vein is. It oozes of class. The knowledge of how stone seams break was learned over many years of carving. I can understand “the choice to install these stone pieces … to reflect the sense of luxury and opulence of Chelsea Barracks”. Mission accomplished!

There are other works of art on display – taking some time to check out the sculpture trail @ Chelsea Barracks comes highly recommended.