Heinrich & Palmer's 'Raison d'être'
Date uploaded: November 20, 2013
Heinrich & Palmer's recent residency at Mottisfont, National Trust was part of the project A Place for Art. Their residency resulted in an installation Raison d'être which will be in place until Easter 2014.
Raison’d’être is about ‘Vistas, Viewpoints and Illusions’. It focuses on the architecture and landscaping of the grounds at Mottisfont and also the layers of illusion in the famous Whistler Room, which features many spectacular trompe l’oeil pieces as well as hidden messages. Raison’d’être was chosen as the title for the residency as it is both a response to these early origins of Mottisfont and its present day existence and 'reason for being'.
The installation comprises of a mirrored chamber containing a diorama of a small river running through it. Viewed through a slot within the doorway, an infinitely meandering stream weaves a path through a landscape as far as the eye can see - beyond the physical boundaries of the building.
Heinrich & Palmer have also incorporated a sound recording, Dusk At Eyeworth Wood, which was sent to them by the composer and sonic artist Hywel Davies (whose own sound installation was installed in the Cellarium from June till the end of November 2013). This is an ambient woodland recording from the New Forest which Heinrich & Palmer have remixed to fade in and out on a 30 minute loop. They wanted the sound to intermittently colour the installation and subtly alter how it is perceived, but also blur fact and fiction.
During the residency, Heinrich & Palmer kept a blog. Click here to read the blog which also shows work by their co-creative group which was an important part of the residency.
Anna Heinrich and Leon Palmer are two UK based artists whose artworks range from photographic and light installations to large scale projection events and public art interventions.
Click here to read more about Raison’d’être on Heinrich & Palmer's website.
