Dry Stone Passage

Richard Harris – Low Bowkerstead – 1982

Material: Stone

Trail: Silurian Way

Theme: Enclosure

Form: Realism

Size: 40 Foot Long, 6 Foot Deep

Maps Featured on: ?, 1984 – 2020

Status: Still in situ, April 2023

Quote from the Artist: “Often when walking in the forest I would find myself having to squeeze between a couple of rocks or a rock and a tree. There was nowhere on the Silurian Way (a 10 mile forest trail) where the path wasn’t wide and open. After much exploration I found a relatively remote place midway along Silurian way. Here the path wound over and around a ridge, along which ran an old dry stone wall. Following the line of the path, I gradually dug a trench, to find a connecting level through the crest. The trench lined with two drystone walls and as an extension to the now restored existing wall, forms a connecting passage.”

“Dry Stone Passage is part of an existing wall. Often people only become aware of it as a sculpture once they are already inside – so there is no anticipation, they are already part of it.”

Taking an existing dry stone wall and extending it either side to form a passageway. Harris worked with local dry stone waller Mike Bowerback to create the artwork. The footpath here is part of the Silurian Way, if a walker was doing the entire nine and a half mile walk through the forest they would have to pass through this artwork. It hasn’t changed since it was created.

Photographs taken September 2018

---

Artist’s other work in Grizedale –

Tripod & Temporary Structures – 1977

Cliff Structure – 1977

Quarry Structure – 1977

Hollow Spruce – 1988

Windblown – 1990

Being Here Exhibition – 2022

---

Artist’s Website: richardharrissculpture.co.uk

Page last updated April 2023