Buildings such as the Piece Hall - and even entire towns and villages across West Yorkshire - exist as a direct result of the textile industry. This industry, which remains a huge source of pride across the region, is itself a direct result of the surrounding landscape. Were it not for the rain in the Pennines that created lush pastures for sheep to graze, and the soil and geology that filter the water, making it soft and perfect for textile production, none of what we know would exist. Yet buildings like the Piece Hall are introverted, turning inwards and away from the nature that is to thank for their existence. Our proposal for an installation aims to highlight the interdependence between architecture and the landscape in this time of ecological breakdown.

For the Piece Hall installation competitin we proposed a landscape of wildflower meadow interrupted by a meandering wall, creating spaces - some intimate, some open - which can be inhabited, explored and enjoyed. The Piece Hall served as a place for trade throughout some of the most formative years of our county’s history, but now we must look beyond the mere economic repercussions of trade. Our environment faces a number of threats, yet we seem to ignore our dependency upon it. A dependency which goes back not just hundreds of years to the industrial revolution, but to the beginning of civilisation itself. Since the 1930s the UK has seen a 97% decrease in its wildflower grasslands. This has had serious knock-on effects across various ecosystems, most notable for pollinators such as butterflies and bees. Our installation aims to frame the natural landscape and architecture as integral and interdependent parts of our history and shared identity, but more importantly our future.

We see the artwork as a sculpture which uses the most fundamental elements of architecture and the textile industry; the wall, and the landscape. Central to our concept is the idea of interaction and inhabitation. We feel that this relationship should be felt and experienced with all the senses, not merely seen in the form of abstract representation. The walls - made from concrete blocks fixed with lime mortar covered in limewash render allowing then to be easily dismantled and reused - drifts seemingly aimlessly through a wildflower meadow, as if strolling while lost in its own thoughts. The kinks, nooks and gaps form unspecified spaces to be occupied in any number of ways. The placement in the North West corner allows a dialogue between the stairs and the sculpture, thus further emphasising the idea interdependence between the Piece Hall and the landscape.

By using plants which will grow and change over the course of the installation as well as allowing the public to sit, read, sleep and play within the sculpture, the passage of time also becomes a component of the artwork. The wildlife species would include: Common Poppy (Papaver rhoeas), Crested Dog’s-tail (Cynosurus cristatus), Sheep’s-bit (Jasione montana) Common Knapweed (Centaurea nigra), Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus), Ragged Robin (Lychnis os-cuculi), Red Clover (Trifolium pratense) and others - all common in the countryside meadows, roadside verges and gardens of Yorkshire. Working with a horticulturist, the plants will be chosen to be seeded in early Spring, when the artwork is installed, slowly growing and flowering over the following months until the artwork is removed in Summer and the meadow plants will find a new home at local schools, institutions and private gardens of Haligonians. We envisage the rehoming of the meadow as a festive event.

The proposal was shortlisted for the Platform Sculpture Programme.