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Exhibition sheds new light on Fountains Abbey

Andrew Barton
BBC News, Yorkshire
Fountains Abbey Yellow, red and blue lights are projected onto a huge sculpture of a face. A man dressed in black stands in front of the sculpture.Fountains Abbey
Ed Kluz says the work reflects on "echoes of history and how they shape our understanding of the present"

A "powerful" immersive installation will cast new light on parts of a World Heritage site which have not been seen for 40 years, an artist has said.

Ed Kluz said his Chaos and Light exhibition, in the Great Chamber at Fountains Hall in North Yorkshire, explored a "pivotal moment in British history" - the transition from the Tudor to the Stuart era.

Kluz said the work bridged past and present "through sound, video and sculpture" in a part of the Fountains Abbey World Heritage Site closed to the public since the 1980s.

"Fountains Hall has a mysterious, almost casket-like quality. It looks like a jewel box from the outside. It's highly decorative and theatrical," he said.

Fountains Abbey A huge wall carving at the end of a long high ceilinged hall is lit in shades of blue light.Fountains Abbey
The exhibition is housed on the first floor of Fountains Hall

The installation coincides with the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year, and is set to run until 21 December, the shortest day.

Kluz said a "monumental central sculpture" surrounded by immersive video and soundscapes would "envelop visitors in a sensory journey".

"This piece is about this idea of comfort in times of change and shift. When things are happening so fast you can barely get to grips with it," he explained.

Fountains Abbey A close-up of a face sculpture with multicoloured lights reflected on it.Fountains Abbey
A spokesperson said a "monumental central sculpture" sat at the heart of the installation

Justin Scully, the attraction's general manager, said: "We are delighted to have the amazing work here.

"We are a World Heritage Site, but it's dominated by the abbey and its 18th-Century water gardens. But our World Heritage inscription is about layers of history."

Mr Scully said to be able to access and understand Fountains Hall and its history through the installation was "just brilliant" and added "another dimension to a visit to Fountains".

"The piece is calming and meditative and there is something quite powerful about the words of 400 years ago speaking to the anxieties of today," he added.

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