Tatton Park Biennial 2012

Olivier Grossetête's Pont de Singe reflects the architecture of Tatton's Japanese Garden as well as the flight of fancy of the Formal Gardens as a whole. With their many follies (like the Choragic Monument, which was erected in 1842 to commemorate The Grand Tour, or the Sheep Stealers' Tower, which had its own 'hermit' employed to frighten dinner guests) the Gardens have always been associated with pleasure.

Grossetête's structure is a folly of design and engineering: a featherweight bridge designed for contemplation rather than function, emanating from and leading to the water, held aloft by three helium-filled balloons. The work recalls the power of daydreams and their ability to transform reality.

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