JUPITER ARTLAND UNVEILS GATEWAY - A SWIMMING POOL BY JOANA VASCONCELOS

Gateway by Joana Vasconcelos at Jupiter Artland. Photo by Allan Pollok-Morris, courtesy Jupiter Artland.

‘Gateway is a big splash that invites the public to immerse in a joyful and spirited dimension, leading to a connection with the energy of the Earth. It’s like a threshold to another universe that we’re not conscious of but through which we can flow.’

- Joana Vasconcelos Jupiter Artland latest permanent commission, Gateway, by Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos opens on Sunday 28 July 2019 as part of Edinburgh Art Festival, taking the form of a vibrant swimming pool pressed into the landscape. Taking three years to develop, Joana Vasconcelos and Jupiter Artland have been collaborating with master craftspeople, architects and engineers across Portugal and Scotland to transform the artist’s brightly coloured designs into a fully functioning 9-metre swimming pool in the formal gardens of Jupiter Artland.

Director of Jupiter Artland Nicky Wilson said: ‘Gateway is one of the most interactive installations we have had at Jupiter Artland and has certainly had one of the biggest impact on the gardens. It has transformed what was once a disused space into a sublime and spiritual place.’ Gateway follows Joana Vasconcelos’ hugely popular eponymous 2018 exhibition at Jupiter Artland which featured Carmen Miranda, a giant stiletto constructed of pots and pans, and Coração Independente Vermelho (Red Independent Heart), 2005. Vasconcelos, known for her oversized and colourful artwork, is a contemporary visual artist and craftswoman of significant international acclaim, having shown her work in Venice Biennale and Royal Academy London, and most recently at Guggenheim Bilbao in Spain. Working with a full-time team of artisans in Lisbon, Vasconcelos is an artist who honours the communal act of craftsmanship, and Gateway is the ultimate celebration of art, craft, architecture and nature. Making connection with her native Portugal, Gateway contains 11,366 hand-painted and fired Portuguese tiles. An immense technical achievement, the process of designing and producing each tile employed both traditional and cutting-edge technologies, taking the combined efforts of a team of engineers and architects at Vasconcelos’ studio as well as artisans at the 200-year old tile producers Viuva Lamego. Flowing from the geometry of the pool, Jupiter’s senior gardener Thomas Unterdorfer worked with Nicky Wilson on the design of the surround garden, bringing together just over 3,000 yew trees, boxwood, beech and Portuguese laurel to create a rich green tapestry defined by clipped topiary balls and lollipop-like trees. The creation of this one-of-a-kind swimming pool began with the site of Jupiter Artland itself and the fact that Bonnington House, the estate’s Jacobean manor house, is said to sit at a point where leylines intersect. Believed by some to channel earthly energy, leylines connect sacred and spiritual sites across the world including Mount Schiehallion in the Highlands and Rosyln Chapel just outside Edinburgh. Vasconcelos reflects, ‘I had to discover about the energy meridans of the earth. We adapted to these things and the pool is a way of maintaining energy flow. In the universe, you are always connected to the stars and so connecting with the sky and the earth seemed proper.’ Incoporating patterns from the artist’s own astrological chart, the geometry of the pool flows from an understand of the spiritual dimension of place, and with Gateway, Vasconcelos has created a site to journey to, to contemplate, to immerse yourself and to participate within. Gateway will play host to public bathing sessions throughout August as part of Edinburgh Art Festival. With its national-wide learning programme, Jupiter Artland is also welcoming community groups to spend time enjoying the Artland’s latest addition, furthering the Foundation’s community engagement work to improve wellbeing and connect with the broadest possible audiences across Scotland. Head of Exhibitions and Audience Engagement Claire Feeley says ‘Gateway nurtures the idea of swimming pools as sites fostering community; an experiential space that is inherently social, playful and shared.’ The site will also play host to live art and performance, as part of Jupiter Rising, Jupiter’s annual music, art, performance and ideas festival taking place on the closing weekend of Edinburgh Art Festival (23 – 25 August) Public dates: 28 July to 29 September, 10am – 5pm every day Public bathing dates: 29 July to 9 August, Monday to Friday, 10am – 1.30pm.

ARCHITECTURAL TEAM’S STATEMENT

Gateway is an artwork integrated in a whimsical pool garden. The yew hedge frames the whole composition and is a natural limit to the artist´s intervention. The sensorial experience of reaching the art piece is supposed to be gradual. First, you see the hedge from outside, facing the iron gates, before entering the secret garden. After entering the site, you perceive, from a distance, the artwork laid on its core, in quietness, yet you still have not reached the artwork ground. This time compass, a suspension, is important as a ritualistic experience. It is essential not to easily give the visitor the obvious path and entrance to the core of this constellation. The sound of steps, the earth fragrance, the temperatures, all come together in this approach to the centre. The pool tiled terraces burst in colour, exceptionally, almost unnaturally, and surprises the visitor as being a container of the perfect circle of water. On the background, not competing with the supernova of the garden — the tiled, colourful pool — stands a glass dome, discrete and grounded. The pool is the key player, with a unique personality, as a work of art is supposed to be.

This is the cosmography of the whole piece: not just the pool itself, but the space and relations between every element in connection with the pool. It is a secret garden that beholds a suspended universe.

- Atelier Joana Vasconcelos

GATEWAY FACT SHEET Artwork dimensions

Gateway consists of the area enclosed by the Sun Gate and the Moon Gate, which are aligned with the centre point of the circular swimming pool. Total site area: 1100m2 Total area enclosed by gates: 900m2 Total tiled area: 245m2 (tiled terrace area plus pool area)

Perfect circle diameter 9m diameter Maximum depth of pool 2.15m Black brick terraced area: 322 m2 (35.67m length and 20.69m width) Black brick terraced with pool area: 520 m2 Glass summer dome 10m diameter Glass summer dome height 5.58m Dome centre stone medallion 1.53m diameter

Dome Centre Stone Medallion 12 radial stones engraved with 12 zodiac symbols (2mm low relief) Centre stone engraved with Flower of Life pattern Pink marble from Estremoz, Alentejo, Portugal

Artworks by Joana Vasconcelos incorporated in Gateway

Sungate, 2019 Wrought iron, 183 x 160 x 5 cm (appr.)

Moongate, 2019 Wrought iron 183 x 160 x 5 cm (appr.) Nest #3, 2019 Layer nappa leather armchair, design by Marco Sousa Santos, handmade woolen crochet, polyester, 110 x 192 x 160 cm

Artworks by Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro incorporated in Gateway’s fountain

Fonte das Rãs (Frogs Fountain), 1907–1920 Faience painted with ceramic glaze 100 x 84 x 100 cm

Palmatória de Nenúfar (Water Lily Candlestick), 1920 Faience painted with ceramic glaze Each 6 x 12.5 x 12.5 cm

ABOUT THE TILES

Total number of tiles: 11,366 Each one of the tiles has been carefully crafted and painted for its specific location on this site. They are one of a kind objects that do not have duplicates. This is a major challenge for any tiler since no cuts are allowed for fitting the tiles in the built geometry. The painted lines cannot be interrupted/distorted by cutting tiles. The architecture team made approximately 500 drawings of different scales. To help Viúva Lamego factory in the production and to better control each tile, the architecture team produced 461 painting boards (461 drawings) of all elements (border, pool wall, bottom and splashes), on scale 1/2. The painting boards are the structural guideline for assembling the tiles, one by one; it is the technical drawing that shows the numbering on the tiles and the way they are painted and assembled. The total designing process lasted approximately three years, since concept design to technical assistance. Viúva Lamego, located in Sintra, Portugal, produced the tiles over eight months. The product design (the tile) was developed by Viúva Lamego and Atelier Joana Vasconcelos. Hand glazed and fired tiles, with textured surface treatment were applied on the terrace and border tiles — anti-slip finish. There are eight colours: white, yellow, light blue, dark blue, orange, red, pink and purple. The tiling team laid the tiles in a total of seven weeks, in different periods, between October 2018 and March 2019. -Atelier Joana Vasconcelos

ABOUT THE GARDEN

Number of plants: over 3,000 Varieties: Prunus lusitanica (Portuguese laurel), Buxus sempervirens (common boxwood), Taxus baccata (English yew) and Fagus sylvatica (common beech). Joana Vasconcelos’ brief for the garden was clear: strong shapes of green and no other colour. Nicky Wilson introduced me to the language of Jupiter Artland and the importance of taking inspiration from what is around us. An important challenge was achieving privacy for the family, whilst also ensuring Joana Vasconcelos’ artwork is as accessible as possible to our audiences. Nicky and I agreed on the use of repeating spherical forms, the enclosing of the space within a straight hedge and the framing of the private home in the background over scalloped hedges. As a designer, it is important to me to achieve height in a garden, and here we sought to excentuate the surface of Joana Vasconcelos’ remarkable tiles and the countersunk planes of the pool itself. Five spectacular specimen of topiary, three Taxus baccata and two Prunus lusitanica, define the dynamic range of the garden, whilst the straight hedge, still developing, grounds the garden providing a calming backbone. When selecting plans, we chose specimens in their native form; no varieties or exotic selections, In all, just over 3,000 plants were used including Prunus lusitanica (Portuguese laurel), Buxus sempervirens (common boxwood), Taxus baccata (English yew) and Fagus sylvatica (common beech). -Thomas Unterdorfer, Keeper of the Landscape, Jupiter Artland

GATEWAY PROJECT AND DESIGN TEAM ARTIST Joana Vasconcelos DESIGN TEAM ARCHITECTURE ATELIER JOANA VASCONCELOS . P Caetano de Carvalho (Head), Helena Fernandes, Sérgio Brito, Ricardo Pereira, Susana André, Joana Alves, Guilherme Pedrosa PROJECT MANAGEMENT ATELIER JOANA VASCONCELOS . Inês Teixeira STRUCTURE SAMPRIZ . Mário Leitão ELECTRICAL INSTALATIONS Ruben Sobral MODELS NORIGEM . Bernardo Pimentel PRODUCT DESIGN . TILES ATELIER JOANA VASCONCELOS + VIÚVA LAMEGO TILING TEAM BUILDER . TILING ATELIER JOANA VASCONCELOS . Susana André (Technical Assistance), Jaime Narciso, Vítor Dias, João Julião GATES CONSTRUCTION BLACKSMITH ATELIER JOANA VASCONCELOS . Vítor Tomás (Head), Afonso Reis, Júlio César Conceição, Catarina Morgado ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . PORTUGAL VIÚVA LAMEGO Gonçalo Conceição, Miguel Almeida Mendes, Ana Paula Jarego, António Matos, Manuela Guerreiro Pedro Pereira, António Novais (Ardex PT), Rui Vasco (Revigrés), Adérito Pereira (Nupergo), John Gilsenan (Westgreen), Luis Soares, Rui Curto

JUPITER ARTLAND FOUNDATION Commissioners Nicky and Robert Wilson, Garden Design Thomas Unterdorfer with Nicky Wilson Project Curator Claire Feeley Garden Maintenance Chris Smart and Jupiter team Project Management Hugh Deans, Surveylink Projects Construction Allan Buchan, MAB Construction Fabian Kuczkowski Andrzej Trzebiatowski George Robertson DCE Electrical Contractors Muir Plumbing & Heating Chelmer Valley Brick Company Purvis Marquee Hire Kinross Stove & Cooker Centre Lothian Steel Pool Contractors Guncast Swimming Pools Limited Glass Pavilion construction Solardome Industries With special thanks to Bernadette Wright, Catriona Blair, Diarmid Mackenzie-Smith, Eleanor Edmondson, Emily Harris, Glenn Innes, Helen Eragona, Kate Latham, Lauren Henning, Martin Cuthbert, Matthew Searles, Pauline Cairns, Rebecca Archer, Sarah Reid, Samantha Blaney, Tyler Tovey and Will Carey.

ABOUT JUPITER ARTLAND

Charles Jencks, Cells of Life, Photograph © Allan Pollok-Morris

JUPITER ARTLAND is one of Scotland’s most significant arts organisations, with five gallery spaces and an expansive outdoor sculpture collection, featuring landscaped gardens and site-specific commissioned artworks from some of the world's most significant artists. Located just outside Edinburgh, Jupiter Artland is a registered charity, founded by the philanthropist art collectors Robert and Nicky Wilson, now with 33 permanent site-specific works across 120 acres of Woodland and meadows. Committed to nurturing the work of outstanding contemporary artists and continuing to commission new works to grow the ever-evolving landscape, Jupiter Artland opened to the public in May 2009, and in 2016 was nominated for the Art Fund’s prize for Museum of the Year. Permanent sculptures and installations across the grounds include works by artists including Antony Gormley, Charles Jencks, Anish Kapoor, Christian Boltanski, Nathan Coley, Ian Hamilton Finlay, Laura Ford, Anya Gallaccio, Andy Goldsworthy, Jim Lambie, Cornelia Parker and Marc Quinn. Each artwork’s specific site has been personally selected by the artist. The works are set within the grounds of Bonnington House, a 17th century Jacobean Manor House and visitors are encouraged to freely explore the Artland, and discover the artworks at their own pace. Jupiter Artland’s ground-breaking learning programme includes free visits for nurseries, schools, universities and community education organisations. Since the programme began in 2009 over 22,000 learners have been welcomed to the collection as part of free or subsidised visits. Jupiter Artland’s child-led ethos to learning sparks curiosity and builds resilience, creativity and critical thinking skills in the minds of young learners. Our mission is for every school child in Scotland to visit or experience Jupiter Artland either through a visit with hands-on activity or through Jupiter Artland’s pioneering digital projects.

ABOUT JOANA VASCONCELOS

JOANA VASCONCELOS (1971) lives and works in Lisbon. She has exhibited regularly since the mid-1990s. Her work became known internationally after her participation in the 51st Venice Biennale in 2005, with the work A Noiva [The Bride] (2001-05). She was the first woman and the youngest artist to exhibit at the Palace of Versailles, in 2012. Recent highlights of her career include a solo exhibition at Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, the project Trafaria Praia, for the Pavilion of Portugal at the 55th Venice Biennale; the participation in the group exhibition The World Belongs to You at the Palazzo Grassi/François Pinault Foundation, Venice (2011); and her first retrospective, held at the Museu Coleção Berardo, Lisbon (2010). Other highlights include exhibitions at Kunsthal Rotterdam (2019); Museu de Serralves, Porto (2019); Royal Academy of Arts, London (2018); Musée d'Art Moderne et Contemporain, Strasbourg (2018); La Monnaie, Paris (2017); ARoS Aarhus Kunstmuseum, Aarhus, Denmark (2016); Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid (2015); Waddesdon Manor - The Rothschild Foundation, Buckinghamshire (2015); Manchester Art Gallery, Manchester (2014); Tel Aviv Museum of Art (2013); Palácio Nacional da Ajuda, Lisbon (2013); CENTQUATRE, Paris (2012); Kunsthallen Brandts, Odense, Denmark (2011); Es Baluard, Palma de Mallorca (2009); Garage Center for Contemporary Culture, Moscow (2009); Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo (2008); The New Art Gallery Walsall, United Kingdom (2007); Istanbul Modern, Istanbul (2006); Passage du Désir/BETC EURO RSCG, Paris (2005); Centro Andaluz de Arte Contemporáneo, Seville, Spain (2003); Műcsarnok, Budapest (2002); Museu da Eletricidade, Lisbon (2001); and Museu de Arte Contemporânea de Serralves, Porto, Portugal (2000). Her work is represented in private and public collections such as: Amorepacific Museum of Art, Seoul; ARoS Aarhus Kunstmuseum, Aarhus, Denmark; Caixa Geral de Depósitos, Lisbon; Centro de Artes Visuales Fundación Helga de Alvear, Cáceres, Espanha; City of Lisbon; City of Paris; Domaine Pommery, Reims, France; Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris; FRAC Bourgogne, Dijon, França; Fundação EDP, Lisbon; Gerard L. Cafesjian Collection, Erevan, Armenia; MUSAC, Léon, Spain; Museu Coleção Berardo, Lisbon; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, DC; the Pinault Collection, Paris and Venice; the Robert & Nicky Wilson Collection, Edinburgh; and The Rothschild Collection, Waddesdon, Buckinghamshire.