As part of Hadrian’s Wall 1900th anniversary celebrations, the Housesteads Roman Fort alongside Hadrian’s Wall in northern England will be donning a colourful reinterpretation of its original gatehouse. Designed by renowned British artist and designer Morag Myerscough in collaboration with the local community and poet Ellen Moran, the pavilion is commissioned by English Heritage and will stand on the site of the 122 AD original northern gatehouse at the fort. Know more about the pavilion on SURFACES REPORTER (SR).
The pavilion is designed by renowned British artist and designer Morag Myerscough in collaboration with the local community and poet Ellen Moran.
Referred to as The Future Belongs To What Was As Much As What Is, the pavilion is built 8.5 m in height and is 12.5 m wide replicating the size of the original Roman gatehouse. The pavilion has been created to mark 1,900 years after its construction commenced on the Hadrian’s Wall, which is a 73-mile-long defensive fortification that marked the northern border of the Roman Empire.
Referred to as The Future Belongs To What Was As Much As What Is, the pavilion is built 8.5 m in height and is 12.5 m wide with a scaffolding frame.
The bold contemporary art installation on this ancient landscape aims at capturing people’s imagination and challenges their ideas of how the wall was earlier. Crafted out of a scaffolding frame, Myerscough’s brightly coloured panels envelope the structure. Informed artifacts discovered at the site, which are now displayed at the Chesters Roman Fort museum in Northumberland, have inspired the multi-coloured panels which have been designed in contrast to the landscape. Since the Roman world was nothing less than a riot of colours, patterns and symbols, Myerscough decided to incorporate those elements with the brightly coloured panels as opposed to the grey stone of the fort. For this, the local community indulged in several workshops with English Heritage historians, curators and artists to create their own mark on the historical sight through their colours, patterns and symbols on these vivid panels.
The pavilion will replicate the size of the original Roman gatehouse on the Housesteads Roman Fort alongside Hadrian’s Wall in northern England.
Opening from July 31, 2022, till the end of October, 2022, the artwork will be open for the public to enjoy where they can go inside the artwork and climb up the stairs to experience the view that hasn’t changed since the Roman garrison kept watch here 1600 years ago.
Image credits: English Heritage