Simon Pope : What cannot be turned aside

5 Oct-28 Oct 2012

Overview

Public access to land, where it exists, has been hard-fought with ongoing skirmishes to establish rights-of-way to our woodlands, moorland and coastline. During a period as artist-in-residence at Yorkshire Sculpture Park in 2010-11, artist Simon Pope researched these issues in relation to the Bretton Park estate, walking and talking with various stakeholders’ along the many pathways which cross the park. His new film, What Cannot Be Turned Aside is an exploration of how we negotiate access to land and the strong impulses which are at play during this process. Within the frame we see a horse and rider negotiating their relationship with the land, walking together across an open field. Over the course of three ‘takes’ they advance towards the camera, moving within its frame, sometimes accepting its limits and at others jostling to break free from its constraints.