27 June to 4 October 2015
Laura Ellen Bacon has transformed the facade of the Holburne Museum with an intricate yet imposing sculpture. Visible from inside and outside the building, its surging, presence evokes the murmuration patterns of swallows and starlings.
Murmuration is made entirely from Flanders Red willow, a variety grown and harvested locally. It is soaked to retain the material’s pliability, before being curved and knotted into panels by the artist and a team of Holburne volunteers. Laura herself then weaves the panels into the final structure.
Laura’s work brings a sense of scale and ambition to the traditional methods and materials of basket-weaving. In her hands the willow is organic and natural, but also part of a highly complex and considered structure. Murmuration has a sense of permanence, yet captures a fleeting/ephemeral/transitory moment.
The sculpture will relocate to a permanent home in the Holburne’s grounds in the autumn.
This commission has been made possible with the support of Arts Council England, and with the enthusiasm and commitment of our team of volunteers.