Studio Octopi
1 August 2017 - Announcing Writ in Water by Mark Wallinger with Studio Octopi
British artist Mark Wallinger with architectural practice Studio Octopi will produce a major new public artwork this autumn for Runnymede, the historic site of the sealing of the Magna Carta in 1215.
Commissioned by the National Trust in association with Situations, Writ in Water will be installed into the landscape at Runnymede, taking Clause 39 as its inspiration.
‘No free man shall be seized or imprisoned, or stripped of his rights or possessions, or outlawed or exiled, or deprived of his standing in any other way, nor will we proceed with force against him, or send others to do so, except by the lawful judgment of his equals or by the law of the land.’
Mark Wallinger comments:
“The UK still does not have a written constitution. Thus the value of memorialising and revisiting Magna Carta is that it reminds each generation that the rights of man need to be fought for and renegotiated constantly. The title of the work is inspired by John Keats’ gravestone that bears the inscription ‘Here lies one whose name was writ in water’, an indication of the poet’s despairing regard for his own legacy.”
Writ in Water has been made possible through the generous support of Arts Council England, Art Fund, The Sigrid Rausing Trust, Henry Moore Foundation and Lord and Lady Lupton, with additional support from Iwan and Manuela Wirth and Valeria and Rudolf Maag-Arrigoni.
Writ in Water will be open to the public by February 2018.