Punk Meets Pastoral at this New Cornish Art Installation

The Lost Gardens of Heligan has teamed up with famous punk artist Jamie Reid on a new installation that celebrates wildlife and the Celtic cycles of nature.

Punks Meets Pastoral at The Lost Gardens of Heligan

Anarchic artist Jamie Reid made a name for himself when he collaborated with the Sex Pistols on the band’s iconic logo and the cover of their famous album Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols, as well as the singles Anarchy in the UK and God Save The Queen. He became one of the most renowned artists of the punk era, and is today collected by the likes of Vivienne Westwood, Madonna and Angelina Jolie.

Now, Reid has collaborated with Cornish estate The Lost Gardens of Heligan on a new interactive installation, inspired by the Celtic idea of the ‘eight-fold year’. Using Heligan’s 11-acre wildflower meadow, he’s created an artwork called Ova through pathways mown into the field, which symbolises the eight key annual moments in druid lore: Imbolc; Alban Eiler or Spring Equinox; Belteinne or Beltane; Alban Hefin or Summer Solstice; Lughnasadh; Alban Elfed or Autumn Equinox; Samhuinn (Hallowe’en); and Alban Arthan or Winter Solstice.

Around the paths, the meadow has been sown with wildflowers like corn marigold, corn chamomile, and cornflower, attracting bees and other vital pollinators to the installation, and allowing visitors to feel the rhythm of the Earth’s natural cycles as they move around the artwork.

‘The OVA symbol represents rebirth and growth and healing and encompasses the points of the eight-fold year, the solstices and equinoxes which will be revealed throughout the year at Heligan,’ explains Reid, who has previously released a book of paintings and photographs on the subject.

‘We hope it will be a good excuse for everyone, for friends and family, to come together at the Ova and take a stroll through the eight-fold year in bloom,’ says Alasdair Moore, Head of Gardens and Estate at the Lost Gardens of Heligan.

‘The project is also just a great way just to get out into the wildflowers and appreciate the buzz of pollinators amidst the drifts of corn marigold, corn chamomile and cornflower. It’s all about the beauty! The exciting thing is that the happenings great and small around the Ova will continue for months to come, with druids, music and celebrations.’

Find out more at heligan.com

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