press release
A major new public sculpture by internationally acclaimed artist Jeppe Hein has been unveiled as part of the University’s centenary celebrations.
Entitled ‘Follow Me’, the work is permanently sited in Royal Fort Gardens, which form part of the University’s estate but which are open to the public.
The artwork comprises a square labyrinth of 76 vertical polished steel plates sited at the base of an incline leading down from Royal Fort House. Visitors will be encouraged to enter the labyrinth to experience the effect of the work. Once inside, the reflections of participants and surrounding plants and trees are multiplied.
Jeppe Hein was inspired by the University as a place of self-discovery, as well as by the history of the gardens - particularly the designs of 18th-century landscape gardener Sir Humphry Repton, who similarly sought to promote imaginative encounters.
The artist was chosen through an extensive selection procedure involving a shortlist of internationally acclaimed artists. A high-level University committee was established to oversee the process, advised by the curators of the project, Situations, a commissioning and research programme based at the University of the West of England.
