Andy Goldsworthy

Stone House (Bonnington)

“Layers are evidence of time and change. The peeling back of one layer to expose another makes me aware of what lies below my feet. It is difficult to believe that something so strong and powerful can be so hidden whilst being so close. At Bonnington, I have excavated an area of bedrock about six metres by eight metres, upon which I have built a Stone House. Containing the bedrock inside a house accentuates the sense of revelation of the stone floor.

1 of 1

Houses are usually places of security, shelter and comfort for people. There is something unnerving about entering a building in which nature is the occupant. These houses become a forum in which the nature of the place and human nature meet. I want people to look into the land – not out of the building.

About Andy Goldsworthy

Andy Goldsworthy is a British sculptor, photographer and environmentalist. He was born in 1956. He was brought up on the Harrogate side of Leeds in the green belt. Here he took on work as a farm labourer as a schoolboy and said that the repetitive nature of the work informed his future art. He studied Fine Art at Bradford College of Art from 1974 to 1975 and then at Preston Polytechnic from 1975 to 1978. He now lives in Dumfriesshire and travels the world undertaking commissions and creating works.

Andy Goldsworthy produces site-specific sculpture and land art set in natural and rural settings. His art involves natural and found objects to create temporary and permanent sculptures that reflect the character of their environment. He is well known for his ephemeral pieces which are made from natural materials such as snow, ice, wood, flowers, leaves, sand, mud and twigs.