Blast Trees (at Twilight)
Blast Trees (at Twilight) formed part of Simon Starling's ambitious project At Twilight, commissioned by The Common Guild. The work took inspiration from W.B. Yeats' 1916 play At the Hawk's Well and the devastating landscapes of the First World War, combining theatre, sculpture and historical research into a multi-layered installation. The blast trees were fabricated as charred, sculptural steel forms, designed to resemble blackened trunks echoing the "blasted" battlefields of Europe.
Within the exhibition and associated performances, these steel trees acted as both sculptural objects and functional stands for the masks and costumes integral to the project's narrative. They helped create a transitional environment between exhibition and stage — a setting where Yeats, Ezra Pound, mythology and modernism collided.
Part of an internationally recognised body of work, Blast Trees (at Twilight) exemplifies Starling's ability to interweave history, craft, literature and material transformation into richly atmospheric sculptural installations.
Within the exhibition and associated performances, these steel trees acted as both sculptural objects and functional stands for the masks and costumes integral to the project's narrative. They helped create a transitional environment between exhibition and stage — a setting where Yeats, Ezra Pound, mythology and modernism collided.
Part of an internationally recognised body of work, Blast Trees (at Twilight) exemplifies Starling's ability to interweave history, craft, literature and material transformation into richly atmospheric sculptural installations.
