Site-specific commission for an eight story internal courtyard at the H.Q offices of DEFRA (Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs), a listed building constructed in the late 1920s and early 1930s. A major refurbishment of the building involved incorporating the original external courtyard to become part of the internal communal space where the artwork is sited.    

 

DEFRA is the government department responsible for sustainable development in the UK. The artist Jan Blake was commissioned to create an artwork in response to the space using sustainable materials. A series of eleven giant sculptural silk leaves, a natural aeronautical shape, was developed. Measuring four metres in diameter each and suspended from single points, the aerial sculpture is a dynamic use of interior space, cascading vertically down the atrium with the ability to move in response to natural airflow. The work references the changing seasons, ranging from hand painted pale greens to darker tones and russets, providing a reminder of the ever revolving cycle of the natural world.