Natural history with a twist as house brings great outdoors indoors

The stunning sights and sounds of the natural world have been brought to life inside the walls of a historic Leeds mansion.

A new exhibition at Temple Newsam House has seen some of the wonders of the animal kingdom recreated through a series of beautiful new art installations.

The exhibition, entitled Outside In, celebrates a century of the 500 year-old house and estate being in public ownership, exploring the stories behind the mansion, its residents and the stunning surrounding parkland.

Using delicate paper, artist Diana Beltrán Herrera’s Forever Spring sees a flock of stunning exotic birds take flight inside the house’s Chinese Drawing Room, famed as one of the world’s most extravagantly decorated rooms.

Drawing inspiration from the colourful birds which adorn the room’s 200 year-old wallpaper, her designs also highlight the precarious state of the natural world today.

Also part of the exhibition is an immersive soundscape in the house’s Picture Gallery, a room originally designed to take on the appearance of an “indoor garden.”

Artist Paul Ratcliff has carefully combined sounds recorded around the estate in a bid to highlight Temple Newsam’s importance as a habitat for local wildlife as well as a space for the public to appreciate the beauty of the natural world.

A large-scale public artwork made by the People Powered Press on the world’s largest letterpress printer will also be on display in the house’s courtyard.

Adam Toole, curator at Temple Newsam, said: “For centuries, Temple Newsam has been a place filled with fascinating stories created by the many people and personalities who have called the estate home.

“Those stories have grown over more than 500 years to become part of the cultural fabric of Leeds and we’re delighted to be working with contemporary artists to bring them to life in new and imaginative ways as we celebrate how much Temple Newsam means to Leeds today.”

After the estate was purchased by the City of Leeds the previous year, Temple Newsam officially opened to the public on October 19 1923.

Not only is the estate now one of the largest public parks in Europe, it also includes the impressive 500 year-old historic mansion and a working rare breeds farm.

Councillor Jonathan Pryor, Leeds City Council’s deputy leader and executive member for economy, culture and education, said: “Temple Newsam is one of the city’s most beautiful and historic locations and is quite rightly cherished by the people of Leeds.

“It’s fitting that we celebrate everything and everyone who has contributed to making the estate so special and show how proud we are that Leeds is home to such an amazing and unique place.”

Outside In will be at Temple Newsam until November 5. For more details, please visit: https://museumsandgalleries.leeds.gov.uk/events/temple-newsam/outside-in/?occurrence=2023-04-01

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