First Came the Landscape (2022) is a giant stick skeleton that will nestle within the Outer Estate landscape at Eden, launching on Thursday February 9.
The piece, made from the trunk, limbs and branches of a single beech tree that came down in a storm, is part of a new season of events for Eden’s Super Natural exhibition, which opened last September in The Core Gallery.
The exhibition features a range of pieces by acclaimed international artists, exploring the relationship between humans and plants.
First Came the Landscape at Eden is one of two stick skeletons created by Ingela Ihrman. The first was made for Uppsala Konstmuseum in Sweden and installed during the summer of 2022.
It invites viewers to wonder at its meaning: is it an archaeological excavation of a giant, a lesson in human anatomy, a self-portrait or a hügelkultur – a raised horticultural bed of wood and plant debris that improves soil fertility and plant growth?
First Came the Landscape reflects the delicate life cycle of the natural world and will remain in situ until the wood naturally breaks down, returning back into the ground in which it has been placed and benefiting its surrounding ecology as it decays, even in its final states.
Misha Curson, Eden’s Senior Curator, said: “To be able to invite Ingela to create First Came the Landscape on the Eden Project site as a continuation of our Super Natural exhibition is a huge honour. It allows us to continue to tell the story of the woven connection between art and nature within the natural landscape; to relay the importance of decomposition and its role in supporting the ecosystem.”
Misha added:: “This is shaping up to be an amazing year of exhibitions and events at Eden and we can’t wait to reveal more about these in time.”
Other upcoming events within the Super Natural programme include a series of film screenings at CAST in Helston, running from Friday January 20 until Thursday February 9, featuring works by artist Patricia Domínguez - whose film Matrix Vegetal (2021/22) features in Super Natural - Ursula Biemann, French–Columbian collective NOMASMETAFORAS and Brazilian indigenous-led collective Selvagem.
First Came the Landscape is open to the public from Thursday February 9 and is located at the side of the road, south of Melon car park.
Super Natural features works by internationally acclaimed artists including Ai Weiwei, Kedisha Coakley, Iman Datoo, Patricia Domínguez, Ingela Ihrman and Eduardo Navarro and is open to the public until February 26, 2023.
Visit www.edenproject.com to pre-book tickets to explore the home of the world-famous Biomes and visit the Super Natural exhibition. To book tickets for CAST film screenings, visit c-a-s-t.org.uk.
Super Natural is curated by Misha Curson and Hannah Hooks with support from the Eden Project research and Outer Estates Living Landscapes teams.
