Acclaimed French artist Denis Tricot has temporarily transformed Nymans, in Handcross, with his elegant wooden sculptures. Nione Meakin catches up with house steward Nikki Caxton to find out more...

How would you describe Tricot and his work?

Denis creates very beautiful and organic-looking sculptures that are inspired by the sites he works with. They are made from planks of poplar wood which weave through the spaces.

He started out as a carpenter when he built toys, furniture and wooden houses, but he was always looking for new ways of making things. His exploration of design eventually led him to create sculptures from wood which he combined with music, poetry and dance.

He has a lot of experience working with historic sites but approached Nymans as a completely new project. Both Denis and his assistant Mathieu were brilliant to work with as they were really interested in understanding the spirit of Nymans and reflecting this within the work they created.

How did Nymans’ relationship with him begin?

Trust New Art is a National Trust scheme to engage visitors with the unique places it cares for, working in partnership with Arts Council England. Denis Tricot’s work appealed to us because of his interest in the history here. His piece evolved onsite from interacting with and being inspired by Nymans.

Can you detail the history of Nymans?

The Messel family, who lived at Nymans from 1890, were a very creative family and following in that tradition, we have been using contemporary art to engage visitors.

Members of the family included Oliver Messel, who was a famous stage designer, and his nephew, Lord Snowdon, the society photographer.

In the 1920s the second generation to live here created a Medieval-style manor house.

However, a fire in February of 1947 destroyed most of the house, leaving the romantic ruins that can be seen today.

What can visitors expect of the installation?

The installation is on a large scale and winds through the house and gardens, drawing attention to all areas. The ruins have many details which can easily be overlooked but Denis’s sculpture draws the eye up and through the ruins and helps visitors to see the house from a new perspective.

The artwork that he creates is truly transient – he worked with the utmost care to make sure there is absolutely no lasting effect on the house or garden for the duration of the installation.

Can you explain what will happen in the booked-out live event of February 19?

Denis will set fire to a completely new sculpture created on the front lawn, accompanied by a performance from the musician Vania Dombrovsky.

Denis and his assistant Mathieu will light the sculpture in a choreographed way to give the effect of movement within the fire. Visitors are always interested in how the house was ruined and this will tell the story of that night 67 years ago.

Nymans has a long association with the arts – what do you think the Messels would have made of the installation and performance?

I think the Messel family would have thoroughly enjoyed it. They embraced all aspects of the arts and I think the theatrical element of the evening would have appealed to them.

The loss of Nymans was obviously a very sad time in their family history but they were incredibly creative and innovative, so a ceremonial burning on the anniversary of the house fire may well have appealed to their sense of drama and theatre.

This isn’t the first time Nymans has hosted an installation in its gardens, is it?

No, we’ve had sculpture in both the house and garden before, with Spiralling Skywards, an exhibition of contemporary sculpture featuring six highlypolished metal contemporary sculptures displayed around the garden and house ruins.

We’ve also worked with Unravelled Arts, a Brightonbased arts organisation that worked with the National Trust on a three-year project developing exhibitions for three properties in the South East.

What is the value to historic sites in working with artists such as Tricot?

Art is a brilliant medium through which places like Nymans can appeal to a wider audience whilse retaining the integrity of the site.

By allowing artists like Denis Tricot to create temporary work within Nymans you can bring its stories to life in a completely different way.

*Denis Tricot’s Fire And Sculpture runs until February 19. For more information, visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk/nymans