Don’t believe the rumors, kids: it’s almost always sunny in Scotland. We had yet another glorious day for our trip to Jupiter Artland.
Located on a 100-acre estate a short distance from Edinburgh, Jupiter Artland is home to a number of large-scale outdoor sculptures.
A woodland trail takes you past several installations, some more obvious than others.
At some point along the way you can feel your perception get a little wonky. You start wondering what is art and what is accident, what is manmade and what is natural.
Suddenly the hay bales in the neighboring field seem just as likely to be art as that last last sculpture you wandered by. Can a rock balanced in a cluster of trees be considered a sculpture at all?
It’s a fun feeling.
I tend to have a low tolerance for conceptual art, but there’s something about the setting of Jupiter Artland that had me appreciating everything I saw. (Well, almost everything. Not sure the giant gun did anything for me.)
Those of you who have been to the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art in Edinburgh may recognize the first photo in this post as a landform sculpture by Charles Jencks. The one at Jupiter Artland is much larger than the one in front of the National Gallery, and you could easily spend an hour walking up and down its peaks to enjoy all the different vantage points.
Jupiter Artland is open mid-May through late September each year. You can save 10% off the admission price by buying your tickets at their website. (Also see the website for information on how to them by bus from Edinburgh.)
