Large-Scale Sculpture for Public Spaces
Monumental Stone Forms was a landmark outdoor exhibition at Yorkshire Sculpture Park, one of the world's leading open-air galleries. Seven large-scale works were sited across the historic 500-acre parkland over a six-month period, creating a walking trail that invited visitors to encounter sculpture in dialogue with the landscape.
The Exhibition
The exhibition was conceived as a conversation between carved stone and the Yorkshire landscape — a terrain shaped by the same geological forces that created the materials from which the sculptures are made. Each work was positioned to respond to its specific site: a hilltop, a lakeside, a woodland clearing, the formal garden.
Siting and Scale
The works ranged in height from 1.5 metres to over 3 metres, with the largest piece — Standing Stone — weighing approximately five tonnes. All works were carved from British stone: Portland, Purbeck, Kilkenny, Yorkshire sandstone, and Cotswold limestone. This choice was deliberate — each stone carries the geological memory of the landscape it was quarried from.
Key Works
Standing Stone (Portland Stone, 320 x 90 x 80 cm) — Positioned on the brow of the main hill, this monumental figure commanded views across the valley. From a distance, it read as a natural standing stone; up close, subtle carved features — a brow, a shoulder, a hand pressed to the surface — revealed a human presence emerging from the rock.
Watershed (Kilkenny Limestone, 180 x 200 x 150 cm) — Installed beside the lower lake, this horizontal form echoed the water's surface. Shallow channels carved into the stone's upper surface collected rainwater, creating a constantly changing mirror that reflected the sky.
Clearing (Cotswold Limestone, 160 x 70 x 65 cm) — Placed in a natural clearing in the woodland, this vertical abstract form caught dappled light through the canopy. Its surface was left partially rough, allowing lichen to colonise the stone over the exhibition's duration.
Process
The creation of seven monumental works required eighteen months of preparation. Stone selection began with visits to quarries across Britain, choosing blocks with the right density, colour, and structural integrity for outdoor display. The carving was completed in Arkeveld's expanded workshop with assistance from two studio assistants.
Transportation and installation required specialist crane operators and foundation engineers, who constructed concealed concrete plinths to support each work.
Legacy
Following the exhibition, Yorkshire Sculpture Park acquired Standing Stone for its permanent collection, where it now stands alongside works by Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth, and Andy Goldsworthy.
Dates: 1 March – 31 August 2024 Venue: Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Wakefield, West Yorkshire Curator: Clare Lilley, Director of Programme Supported by: Arts Council England, Henry Moore Foundation