Architect Charles Jencks' Landform Sculpture Shortlisted for Final Four

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Archiseek / UK / Scotland / News / 2004 / April 6

Landform, the out-door sculpture outside Edinburgh's Gallery of Modern Art is one of four arts projects in the final for The Gulbenkian Prize for Museum of the Year, the UK's largest single arts prize of Ł100,000. The finalists, chosen from a shortlist of thirteen, comprises a national art gallery, a travelling exhibition in a remote part of Wales, a garden partnership project in the north west, and an educational outreach programme in Northumberland.

The four finalists are:

Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh for Landform Ueda by architect Charles Jencks

The Museum of Antiquities, University of Newcastle for Reticulum, a partnership project with Northumbrian junior schools

Pembrokeshire Museums Service for Varda, a travelling exhibition of Romany history and culture

Norton Priory Museum, Runcorn for Positive Partnerships, where local day centre clients with learning disabilities work alongside museum staff

The Gulbenkian Prize for Museum of the Year is a Ł100,000 award given annually to one museum or gallery, large or small, anywhere in the UK. The four finalists were drawn from a shortlist of thirteen that included Titian at the National Gallery, the Gallery of Modern Art in Glasgow, Thinktank in Birmingham and the Henry Moore Institute in Leeds. The winner will be announced on Tuesday 11 May at the Royal Academy, Burlington Gardens during Museums and Galleries Month

Richard Calvocoressi, the Director of the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art has expressed the gallery's delight: 'The Gulbenkian Prize is recognised as the most prestigious award made to museums in this country and we feel honoured to have reached the final shortlist. The Landform and many out-door sculptures here at Belford Road are already enjoyed by thousands of all ages and we hope this recognition will encourage more visitors to come and experience the Gallery and its beautiful grounds.'

When the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art decided to redevelop its extensive grounds and reorganise its collection of out-door sculpture, it turned to the American architectural historian, Charles Jencks, whose home is in Dumfriesshire, with a commission for an extraordinary centrepiece. The result, Landform (based on the concept of chaos theory), is part sculpture, part garden, part land-art, a magical back-drop for everything from exhibition openings to the Gallery's Fun Day for families, as well as providing an exceptional platform for viewing sculpture.

The serpentine, stepped mound, with three crescent-shaped pools - has completely transformed the area between the Gallery and its sister building, the Dean Gallery. Landform occupies a site that was formerly a school playing field. Deemed unsuitable for individual works of sculpture, the aim for Landform was to create an important visual link between the two gallery buildings as well as a work of art in its own right.

The Landform has proved immensely popular and has attracted many new visitors to both the galleries and the grounds. It is especially enjoyed by children. Jencks's creation has provided an extraordinary setting for exhibition openings, has itself featured in exhibitions such as Common-place (now touring Scotland) and has been the subject of educational projects. It was also the setting for the National Galleries of Scotland's Fund Day in 2003 which attracted over 3000 children and their families.

All these activities have confirmed Jencks's hopes for the work - "I pictured a contemporary equivalent of Seurat's La Grande Jatte - everything going on at once, amidst sun, water and city life. You could eat lunch, perhaps have a drink, chase kites ...".

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