Linder, part two - Her Grace Land.

Mixing new and old is something I have touched on before on the blog and no doubt will again. It gives depth to a space allowing history to mix with the present with neither element being more important than the other, just a pleasing blend. "Her Grace Land" by Linder at Chatsworth House is a perfect example of this at work. As I explained in Part one of this post, Linder has been the first artist in residence at Chatsworth House and this exhibition shows the public the work she has produced during her time living and working there. Of course the house is beautiful in its own right but as a backdrop for this exhibition, you see the pieces on display in the very place that inspired them and you can really feel Chatsworth in her work. The exhibition included four installations in the Painted Hall, State Bedchamber, Old Master Lobby and the Sculpture Gallery.

It was varied - two vinyl capes, a bustle and train for a dress, a set of small collages and two large vinyl banners - all with the unmistakable style of Linder with cut out, pop art style collages of a collection of images. She said that as an artist she immersed herself in Chatsworth during her residency and she allows us to do the same with the smell of incense burning, made from herbs and woods collected at Chatsworth and sounds of the estate and recordings of women who work there playing as you walk around taking in the surroundings and her work.

The work may be brand new, but the history of Chatsworth is the backdrop with the pieces nestled between classical marble busts and put on grand gilded balconies. In the work, images of the Duchess of Devonshire and paintings from their collection hide behind frogs, snakes, roses, birds, insects and shells. As a regular visitor to Chatsworth it was fun to see images from past visits pop out at you in a completely new way and to turn corners and see something so modern look perfectly comfortable in somewhere so historic.

Linder's work is certainly a bit weird and wonderful, the more you look at the images the more recognisable elements you spot. Below I've put together a little board, less a full room design more some ideas for a few interesting pieces that could bring a hint of Linder's style into a space or the glamour of Chatsworth itself.

(Please note - this is not a sponsored post).

R x