Staged Nature
On view in the Archive Gallery for ticket holders and by appointment.
Mother Goose: ‘What is the secret nature knows?’
Tom Rakewell: ‘What Beauty is and where it grows…’ – The Rake’s Progress
Glyndebourne is a stage for nature. Rooted in the heart of Sussex and surrounded by spectacular gardens, it is an enduring source of inspiration for artists on and off the stage. Drawing on elements from this year’s productions, Staged Nature presents dazzling contemporary works alongside treasured objects from our collection to explore how artists have been informed by the theatre of nature. Collection material includes photographs, stage designs and two original costumes – a rose-covered coat from Richard Hudson’s 2000 production of Don Giovanni and Oberon’s costume from John Bury’s 1981 production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
In dialogue with the collection material, we have invited ten artists whose practice explores ideas of staged nature: David Abbott, Andy Barker, Charlie Barton, Michael Bishop, Miranda Boulton (Courtesy Cynthia Corbett Gallery), Michele Fletcher, Holly Loader, Jocelyn Lee (Courtesy Huxley-Parlour Gallery), Lois Oliver and Agnes Treherne.
In 2010, David Hockney made a series of early iPad drawings of the opera house and its grounds. Hockney has long standing connections to Glyndebourne, having designed his first opera – The Rake’s Progress – in 1975. Exhibited for the first time as an animation, these joyous drawings celebrate Glyndebourne as a place where theatre, nature and art meet.