Episode 78: Garden Sculpture with Victoria Leedham

This episode I’m speaking to Victoria Leedham, Co-Curator and Gallery Manager of the Hannah Peschar Sculpture Garden.  I visited the garden earlier this month and even in winter garb, it was beautiful, set as it is in ancient woodland with streams running through it that pour down from Leith Hill in Surrey. The sculptures in the garden are diverse in character and look stunning within the location,  each one fitting harmoniously into the backdrop of planting and landscape. Victoria is responsible for sourcing and placing sculpture in the garden, alongside owner garden designer Anthony Paul. We spoke about Victoria’s work, about the sculpture garden and also how you can select and place sculptures in your own garden. This episode I’m speaking to Victoria Leedham, Co-Curator and Gallery Manager of the Hannah Peschar Sculpture Garden. I visited the garden earlier this month and even in winter garb, it was beautiful, set as it is in ancient woodland with streams running through it that pour down from Leith Hill in Surrey. The sculptures in the garden are diverse in character and look stunning within the location,  each one fitting harmoniously into the backdrop of planting and landscape. Victoria is responsible for sourcing and placing sculpture in the garden, alongside owner garden designer Anthony Paul. We spoke about Victoria’s work, about the sculpture garden and also how you can select and place sculptures in your own garden. About the Hannah Peschar Sculpture Garden: “The Sculpture Garden was the brainchild of owner and original curator Hannah Peschar 36 years ago, and has grown from a handful of sculptures to over 200 pieces exhibited every summer. Artists come from across Britain and Europe to exhibit their work in these breathtaking surroundings, allowing their sculptures to be seen in a whole new way. The Garden used to be part of a large estate, laid out between 1915 and 1920. Later it was split up and sold in several lots; leaving the 15th Century, grade 2 listed cottage with ten acres of land including a large water and rock garden. The garden fell rapidly into decline after the estate was sold. Over the past 40 years the garden has been redesigned and replanted by award-winning landscape designer Anthony Paul, who has introduced many large-leaved plants in bold groups, tall grasses and created 3 new ponds. The range of works selected by the curators is wide with styles varying from figurative to highly abstract, innovatively using contemporary metals, wire, glass, ceramics and plastics as well as the more traditional stone, wood and bronze. Each sculpture is placed in a carefully considered and meaningful relationship with the other featured works within the garden. The result is an inspired combination of peaceful, enclosed harmony and dramatic, surprise vistas in an ever-changing environment. Throughout the 37 year lifetime of the Garden, the overriding theme is the powerful relationship between art and nature. Neither one outshines the other: every piece is placed in harmony with its surrounding to create an amazing synergy within the environment.” - http://www.hannahpescharsculpture.com/about What We Discuss: The ethos behind the Hannah Peschar Sculpture Garden Considerations around placing sculpture in the garden, including planting and lighting A discussion of the different materials used and their pros and cons Choosing sculpture for and placing it in your own garden Links: Hannah Peschar Sculpture Garden www.hannahpescharsculpture.com  The Hannah Peschar Sculpture Garden Black & White Cottage, Standon Lane, Ockley, Dorking, Surrey, RH5 5QR Telephone: (+44) (0) 1306 627 269  Email: [email protected] Re-opens for the year from 3rd April 2020  Get in touch: Email [email protected]  Website www.rootsandall.co.uk  Twitter @rootsandall  Instagram @rootsandallpod  Patreon Link: Help me keep the podcast free & independent! Donate as much or as little as you like at https://www.patreon.com/rootsandall  GoFundMe gf.me/u/w7sy4c