Detail of Into Being. All photos by India Hobson. Images courtesy of the artist and Yorkshire Sculpture Park, shared with permissionLaura Ellen Bacon Brings Somerset Willow Into Being at Yorkshire Sculpture ParkApril 7, 2025ArtKate MothesFrom pliable lengths of sustainably sourced Somerset willow, Laura Ellen Bacon (previously) weaves elegant, meandering sculptures. Whether installed on a wall, streaming from windows, or curled up on a plinth, her works invite us to wander through installations that appear alive and moving. Bacons latest solo exhibition, Into Being, just opened at Yorkshire Sculpture Park. The Derbyshire-based artist created pieces for the parks 18th-century chapel, centering around an eponymous piece that extends six meters into the nave and reaches three meters high. Mirroring shapes from nature like seed pods, burrows, and cocoons, the undulating form welcomes visitors to step inside a kind of gentle, organic embrace.The artist with Into BeingJoining a continuum of artists like Andy Goldsworthywho has four works permanently on display ay YSPNicola Turner, and Kate MccGwire who utilize natural materials to create enigmatic in situ installations, Bacons site-specific works respond directly to their surroundings. She constructed Into Being on location at YSP over the course of eight weeks, re-interpreting the space by drawing with willow. About 80 bundles of Dicky Meadow, a variety known for its slender and straight stem, wind their way through the galleryIn Britain, people have been weaving with willow for upwards of 10,000 years, primarily using the material for creating baskets. The thin stems are soft, flexible, and lightweight, making them easy to handle and bend. Bacon has developed her own methods during the past two decades, experimenting with relationships between curves and lines, tightness and looseness, and knots and twists to create contemporary, abstract compositions.Branches that have naturally fallen from beech trees at YSP form part of the sculptures supporting structure, which, through its material and form, conjures up a primal instinct to nest and reconnect with the natural world, says a statement. When the installation is dismantled later this year, the material will be repurposed on the YSP grounds to create wildlife habitats. Into Being continues through September 7 in West Bretton, England. Find more on Bacons website and Instagram.ContactDetail of ContactInto BeingDetail of Into BeingDetail of Into BeingConfidantDetail of Into BeingDetail of Into BeingNext article