Hares

Artist: Mark Harrison

“….Rabbits mingled naturally. They did not talk for talking’s sake. In the artificial manner that human beings – and sometimes even their dogs and cats – do.” (Richard Adams, Watership Down)

Mark Harrison’s work conjures stunning visuals of animals and the beauty of the unnatural. The hare sculptures, located near the rock garden at Hall Place, touch upon the subjects of communication and the social boundaries in modern day life. Chicken-wire was manipulated to create the large-than-life, ephemeral hare figures, with the addition of steel wool to allude to the graphic convention of the ‘thought bubble’.  Harrison’s piece illustrates the introspective cages in which can all become trapped in everyday life. ‘Hares’ touches on memory, narrative and poetry – drawing on the artist’s childhood memories of nature and Watership Down. Here, the hare represents a juxtaposition of contradictory elements: a fight for peace, wisdom and innocence, childlike escapism and the need to mature.