The Bergh Apton Sculpture Trail 2008
This weekend thousands of art lovers will begin flocking to a small village in rural Norfolk for a unique event in the arts calendar.
Every three years the idyllic village of Bergh Apton and its gardens is transformed into an imaginatively themed trail of art, sculpture and music, which draws people from all over the region – from afar as London, Lincoln, Cambridge and Essex.
In 2005 the Bergh Apton Sculpture Trail attracted over 10,000 people - not bad for a village of only 134 houses and a population of 420.
This year an impressive roster of East Anglian and international artists have been selected to exhibit, including Katharine Dowson, Gary Breeze, John Bardell, Jonathan Clarke and Liz McGowan. Joining them will be Christopher Le Brun RA, recently shortlisted for the major Gateway to England sculpture at Ebbsfleet in Kent.
So what is it about Bergh Apton that draws so many art lovers and artists to a small village south of Norwich, which doesn’t even boast a pub?
Liz McGowan, Coiled Rushes. © the artist
“It’s really for people who appreciate gardens, art and music,” said one of the organisers, Andrea Finegan. “I think it’s unique, and it gives people a chance to be a part of our community. Everyone who owns a garden, is in their garden for the trail, and they are all available to talk to people as they are walking around.”
“It’s the chance to step into somebody else’s life as well as seeing how artists have responded to their gardens.”
The Trail, which is organised by the Bergh Apton Community Arts Trust, meanders through the village, along footpaths, in and out of the gardens and through a newly planted woodland. Live music complements the settings together with storytellers, workshops and demonstrations. This year there is even a specially composed performance by local schools. It’s a real community based event.
“It’s a very close-knit community,” explained Andrea. “Everyone gets involved, people just get together and make it work, and this in a village that has so few inhabitants compared to the number who visit it.”
Harriet Mead, Pelican. © the artist
The theme of this year’s Sculpture Trail is ‘Balance’. Many of the 61 sculptors exhibiting will be responding imaginatively to the serious environmental implications of climate change, exploring how we balance our needs responsibly and ethically with those of nature.
There are also some sculptors from Zimbabwe who will be displaying their traditional Shona stone sculptures in this very English setting.
The Bergh Apton Sculpture Trail costs £10 per ticket (or £15 for 2 days). Under 16s can attend for free. The trail takes place on:
Saturday May 24 & Sunday May 25
Saturday May 31 & Sunday June 1
Saturday June 7 & Sunday June 8
The gardens will be open from 10.30am to 6.00 each day.
Bergh Apton is 6 miles from Norwich on the A146 Lowestoft Rd and 2 miles (NW) of Loddon. See www.berghapton.org.uk or phone 01508 550119 for more details.
