Of stone and water: a monumental example of Land Art open to the public

Il cielo visto dall’interno di una delle case. ©Julian Broad

With the support of the Ross Foundation, Goldsworthy then expanded his initial brief, and came up with Hanging Stones, a work that includes the reimagining of ten buildings connected by a circular walking route almost 10 kilometres long, which he conceived as an artery where it is the people who bring the buildings to life: "The lifeblood of the work is the passers-by, I love walking and I love art. So it was the perfect proposal,' Ross points out.

The process was long, Goldsworthy worked on one building at a time. The rough terrain presented "some of the most difficult conditions I have worked in around the world. You can't imagine what it's like when it rains so much here in the winter, it gets so slippery that you can barely stand up," the artist says. Objections to the project by the North York Moors National Park Authority's planning commission and restrictions imposed by Covid further slowed down the progress of the work. Now nine of these houses are finished, although perhaps calling them houses is a misnomer, as none have electricity or water supply, and no one lives in them. The buildings have been given evocative names such as Sugget Spring, Bogs House and Northdale Head House. When Goldsworthy finishes the last one, Heygate Thorns, in 2025, Hanging Stones will be finally completed. But the project is already in the soft opening phase, a kind of experimental pre-opening. Access is limited: you book on hangingstones.org, adult tickets cost £10, while students and under-18s get in free. A confirmation e-mail is sent with the address where you can pick up a small map and the key that unlocks the locks of all the houses. Once in possession of this material, visitors open and close the buildings themselves. With one caveat: the trek, which lasts an average of five to six hours, is suitable for those who are definitely good walkers. "It is very challenging, a true immersive experience where the exercise is part of the artwork," explains art dealer Ivor Braka, who visited on a rainy day. He describes the atmosphere he found as "a prehistoric fog swirling around", seamless between art and nature. "You don't even realise it's a work of art, so respectfully it fits into the rural Yorkshire landscape. The harmony and integration between the forces of nature and local traditions is total'.

La cavità della finestra ovale che si trova a “Job’s Well”, a metà strada dell’itinerario. ©Julian Broad

After a long conversation with the artist and the patron, it was time for me to start the tour. Both are not sure if they want to publicise the project too much, they would like visitors to be able to enter each house without preconceived notions and without already having images in their heads. "You only get one chance, just one, to see something for the first time," explains Ross. "I don't want to reveal everything, I want something to remain hidden, to have an element of surprise."

I am lucky enough to walk through Hanging Stones with the artist, Ross and his friends. Before we set off, Goldsworthy explains the history of this land: in the nineteenth century, the valley resounded with the puffs of locomotives, the rumble of wagons and that of the machines for extracting iron ore from the mines. About 3,000 miners and their families worked and lived here. The ores, later shipped to nearby steel mills, helped build the British Empire. But with the decline of the iron trade and the closure of the mines from 1879 onwards, nature has largely taken back the valley, though not entirely. The stone structures retain traces of those who lived here in the past. "For me, it is not just a rural paradise or a bucolic place, not as the National Park intends to promote it, it is so much more," Goldsworthy confesses.

“Ebenezer” è la casa rivestita da filo spinato. ©Julian Broad

For six hours we cross a variety of landscapes and small hills. The higher we climb, proceeding along narrow paths, the more the meadows give way to forest, some paths are full of mud from the rain that fell the night before. I am out of breath, Goldsworthy on the other hand proceeds effortlessly. We walk across wide expanses of rough terrain, and every 15-20 minutes we encounter a house. After each visit, our perception of the whole changes, it is as if a rhythm emerges bit by bit. Goldsworthy himself points out: 'It was the valley, not me, that set the rules and created the reason why I started Hanging Stones. I like discipline that makes you work within a pre-existing structure'.

As soon as a house appears, curiosity grows, and becomes amazement when the door is opened. In the Hanging Stone House, an 11-tonne block of sandstone hangs elegantly from the ceiling of a small, peeling room. How does it not collapse? There is very little space between the boulder and the floor, some brave person can just crawl underneath to contemplate the scene from there.

Un altro degli edifici che si affaccia sulla valle di Rosedale. ©Julian Broad

Most buildings, seen from the outside, appear basic and compact, but inside each one unveils a world. Walking inside the circular space of Southfield, for example, is like entering the belly of a giant tree, because the walls are completely covered with branches firmly stacked on top of each other, branches of oak trees fallen by the wind, which Goldsworthy collected.

In the house called Ebenezer the surfaces shimmer, it is both threatening and attractive. As my eyes adjust to the darkness, I realise that the walls are lined with barbed wire. 'Iron was mined in the area, so iron had to be present in one of the works,' Goldsworthy explains. Barbed wire was once used to fence off fields in Yorkshire and Scotland; now it envelops the room. 'The beauty and horror of iron,' Goldsworthy judges.

He has also chosen to use iron in the Red House, applying ochre-coloured pigments on the surfaces. It is a work in progress because, while the pigment is permanent, the colour on the other hand is iridescent and fades. "This red is a living, breathing thing. It is red because it contains iron, like our blood,' says the artist.

As we continue climbing, we can actually feel the blood pumping more and more. Happy, almost elated, we reach the moorland plateau. Bleak and desolate, it is a moonscape. We are at the highest point - and halfway through our walk - when a low, long building appears before us, looking like a cosy refuge. It is Job's Well. "It tells the legend - a legend I strongly support - that monks used to stop here to rest," Ross says as he ushers us inside. We are greeted by wicker baskets filled with thermos flasks of boiling tomato soup. Thanks to the oval window cavity, reminiscent of a cathedral, the room inspires a feeling of peace and recollection. For us hikers, it is also a time to refresh ourselves and think back on the road travelled so far. The descent should be easy, but in reality it proves challenging, although in a different way: the paths are slippery with mud and strewn with branches and stones.

Eventually, after crossing peaty or fern-covered streams, the landscape becomes lush. As soon as it becomes flat again, there are green pastures with ancient trees, dry stone walls, grazing sheep and wild birds. And, just at the right moment, the sun comes out, and the clouds dissipate. Pure English Arcadia.

"Walking is a great gift," says Goldsworthy. And because we are now in a spot where the public has a right of way, we meet and chat with the people we find on the paths. Although Hanging Stones is on land that is private property, "it's not private at all," he comments. I ask him if it can't still be seen as a privilege, the trophy of a rich collector: 'To some extent I suppose so, but it is a trophy open to all,' he replies. And just as the time is approaching when it will be finally completed, "Hanging Stones continues to grow," Ross points out.

"It is part of a dialogue that continues and that Andy intends to continue in this part of the world". Goldsworthy has no doubts: "It will remain my most important work ever. To have had the opportunity to work in a place that means so much to me was an immense gift".

GREEN ARMY HANGING STONES. ROSS FOUNDATION.

Site-specific walks.

From the Roero to Basilicata and Sicily, five territories where you can meet the international masters.

International Sculpture Park, Mestre (Ve). Works by Fernando Botero, Annie Morris

Rossini Art Site, Brianza. Works by Giò Pomodoro, Mario Negri, Massimiliano Fuksas

Sandretto Re Rebaudengo Art Park, Guarene (Cn). Works by Stefano Boeri, Binta Diaw, Carsten Höller

ArtePollino, Basilicata. Works by Anish Kapoor, Anni Rapinoja, Giuseppe Penone

La Fiumara d'Arte, Messina. Works by Italo Lanfredini, Mauro Staccioli, Antonio Di Palma