EVER wondered why a rose bush is considered prettier than a potato plant in bloom? Or why we find a tulip more pleasing to the eye than a bean flower? These questions and many more are putting Tatton’s new artist in residence to the test.
Christine Wilcox Baker, from Knutsford, has been using the park as inspiration for a series of works called “Cultivate and Celebrate: Treasures of the Kitchen Garden”.
The creations, displayed in the gardens and mansion, explore our perceptions of natural beauty and the value we place on the food we grow and consume.
“The mansion is full of treasures – items to be valued, celebrated and looked after – and this Šinspired me to look at the treasures of the kitchen garden,” explains Wilcox Baker.
Her explorations will bear fruit, she adds, in a series of living works in progress – drawings, photography and paintings sited in the kitchen garden and the Mansion’s library, dining room and kitchens.
The body of work will evolve and grow during the months of her residency, which is supported by: Arts Council England, Tatton Park Trust and Tatton Park.
On Friday, October 30, visitors can experience an “Amuse Yeux” drop-in event in the kitchen garden, where Wilcox Baker will be working with the garden staff to create art with plants and will be inviting visitors to grow their own smile.
Further events will follow in the spring.
The artist hopes her work will inspire people to treasure food and the growing process.
“My work invites the visitor to look differently at food and to focus not just on the harvest but also on the whole cultivation cycle and the beauty of the entire plants,” says Wilcox Baker, whose previous commissions have included a large- scale installation, using natural materials, for All Saints Church in Daresbury, to celebrate the 175th Anniversary of the birth of Lewis Carroll and a floating garden for Ellesmere Port Boat Museum.
“My aim is to highlight the real value of the gift of food, how I believe we should not take it for granted, and to remake the links between the kitchen garden and the mansion kitchen.”
CULTIVATE and Celebrate: Treasures of the Kitchen Garden takes place at Tatton from Friday, October 23, to Sunday, November 1 (closed Mondays). Normal opening times and prices apply.
