
British Environmental Artist Steve Messam Creates a Dramatic Installation in a Classical Portico
A former freelance photographer and journalist, 52-year-old British environmental artist Steve Messam has devoted the last two decades to creating temporary site-specific installations—bold, colorful, and thoughtful works (usually “bigger than a house,” as he puts it) that interact with their surroundings, both natural and manmade. Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Park—an 800-acre National Trust and UNESCO World Heritage Site in northern England comprising the ruins of a medieval monastery in an 18th-century landscaped park—was the setting for “These Passing Things,” an exhibition of three related Messam works—Drifted, Bridged, and Spiked—that ran last summer and fall.
For the latter, the artist appropriated a Georgian garden folly, the Temple of Piety, filling its classical portico with an inflated textile form with pointed spines that protruded dramatically through the columns. Consulting old plans and elevations of the temple, Messam used CAD to create life-size paper patterns for the work’s machine-sewed nylon pieces, in a striking sunshine yellow. He worked closely with the trust’s conservation team to adjust the original spiky starburst design so the installation wouldn’t harm the landmarked structure, especially its plaster ceiling moldings. And he inflated the water- and fire-proofed sculpture with a single quiet ventilation fan so as not to disturb the calm of the gardens during the exhibition, which was postponed more than a year due to the pandemic. “That did give us a lot longer to fabricate the piece,” Messam concedes, “which is always nice.”

read more
Projects
Old Meets New in a National Trust Heritage Site in England
British artist Steve Messam creates a temporary installation called Bridged in the National Trust Heritage Site in England.
Projects
Revery Architecture Reconsiders the Air Duct in an Installation for the London Design Biennale 2021
2021 Best of Year winner for ARchInstallation. Representing Canada at the London Design Biennale 2021, the Vancouver-based Revery Architecture created the cheekily titled, 100-square-foot installation at Somerset House, …
Projects
The 15 Coolest Installations of 2019
Inventive, aesthetically pleasing, and sometimes out of this world—Interior Design featured dozens of standout installations throughout 2019. They all demonstrated the otherworldly skill and talent of their cr…
recent stories
Projects
Headquarters Reboot: Standard Architecture x Nadel
Nadel’s headquarters reboot included multiple skylights, outdoor lounges, and a plan to bridge the bi-level interiors, thanks to Standard Architecture.
Projects
Houston’s Brava Tower Blends Newspaper History with Modern Luxury
Brava, a rental tower by MaRS and Munoz + Albin, makes headlines with nods to its site’s newspaper history, underscored by contemporary art and amenities.
Projects
This Home Sits on an Exclusive São Paolo Golf Course
Sited on an exclusive golf course near São Paolo, lush greens and local stone distinguish an expansive ground-up home by Studio Arthur Casas.