One of my earliest artistic influences was Kurt Schwitters so to be commissioned to create an outdoor sculpture as part of the 75th anniversary of the Merz Barn Project was a great honour. 

The event told the story of how German Dada artist Kurt Schwitters came to Ambleside in the heart of The English Lake District as a refugee in 1945, where he met landscape designer Harry Pierce at Cylinders Estate, and began working on what is considered to be his last Merz Bau.

Now a flourishing nature reserve dedicated to preserving the legacy of Schwitters, the site hosted a selection of contemporary artists, architects and local designers, who came together to make new works in response to the landscape and history of the place.

A selection of art installations were in support of Ukrainian refugees, including an architectural monument buried in the natural woodland, the ‘дітей - Children of Mariupol’ exhibition, and the ‘Bunker’.