It is a rare occasion on which an exhibition apace can be judged by its toilet facilities, As a general rule of thumb, factors like the size and suitability of the space, as well as the quality of the works exhibited, tend to determine the merit of a gallery. The Cass Sculpture Foundation in Goodwood, near Chichester, redefines these rules by elevating its most functional facilities to the level of art.

The space itself is 26 acres of lovingly maintained woodland, currently displaying 67 large-scale works of sculpture, as well as 7 varieties of sculpted furniture; meaning that even a casual sit-down can make the viewer part of the cultural expression. This exciting art-meets-amenity experience reaches its height with founder Wilfred Cass' Unisex Toilet, an elegant structure of spiraling wooden logs housing four toilet cubicles in which everything from the doorframes to the basins - is sturdily affixed to the forest floor.

Sculpture parks are by no means a new phenomenon, but the inevitable logistical and financial difficulties associated with displaying works of art outside mean that the Cass Foundation's one of only a handful of its kind in Britain. What makes co founders Wilfred and Jeanette Cass' venture unique is their financial approach to sculpture. The woodland space is a kind of revolving commercial exhibition; nearly a of the works are for sale and the profit raised from these sales is used to commission new works by emerging and established home-grown sculptors. With this self-sustaining flow of innovative talent, the Cass' hope to ensure (and insure) the future of British sculpture; and judging by the calibre of the works currently offered, their mission will be a successful one.

From the most extreme abstraction to the most skillful representation, the objects placed in the Goodwood grounds are a varied trove of suggestive shapes, striking colours and baffling construction. Visitors enter the estate through Wendy Remshaw's ornate Gates: a circular, stainless steel entrance with the appearance of a huge sundial. Once inside, Bryan Kneale's Triton 3 signals the scale of Cass' ambition: a vast 2,000 kilogram structure comprised of three spoon like pieces, wrapped round one another and bolted together. Perhaps the greatest pleasures of an outdoor, wooded gallery space are the brief, startling glimpses of strange shapes in the distance, obscured by branches and foliage.



Walking down the man track reveals the bold, marble egg of David Worthington's Yo Reina on the left, followed by one of the most arresting exhibits: Abigail Fallis' DNA DL9O. It's a 32 foot pillar, covered in spokes, on which hang a small army of shopping trolleys. The work may well be attempting to illustrate grandiose points about the expendability of art or the ugliness of consumerism, yet its true strength is in its sheer "how did you do that?" factor.

Turn to the right, and a glance at Jonathan Loxley's Portal further surprises the eye with its blank, monolithic shape and swirling vortex like design. Peek further through the trees to see the warped bulbous image of a bronze human figure with a trombone like head, riding a tiny tricycle, The beautiful setting can only add to the surrealism of Steven Gregory's One of Us on a Tricycle.

Along the winding path that snakes its way through Goodwood there are some recognisable names among the host of rising talent. The Foundation's beginnings were in the contribution of a work by the 'found' industrial sculptor Sir Anthony Caro, and his unmistakable style is currently represented by the enigmatic yellow painted steel of Eastern. Phillip King - Caro's most famous student and former President of the Royal Academy of Art - makes his presence keenly felt with two enormous and colourful works: Sun's Roots II and the beautifully placed Sun and Moon, a 28 foot geometric representation of solar and lunar cycles. Perhaps the most renowned sculptor contributes one of the least conspicuous works: rounding the drive that passes the man reception area and you find a set of four cast iron, shaped bollards by Antony Gormley, whose most recent exhibition involved the placing of lifesize sculptures of himself in various positions n central London.

The revolving nature of Cass' collection means that - as with any commercial exhibition - consistency of subject is less achievable than in a dedicated show, but is interesting to observe the contrasts and similarities however coincidental they may be. The female form is considered in two exhibits, and the distinction between them suggests the familiar male opposition of the fairer sex: the angel and the harlot. Where Ralph Brown presents us with a veiled, loving apparition of the feminine genitalia in La Sposa, Michael Sandle's Queen of the Night is a nightmarish vision in bronze: a female figure whose head has become a mutated mace-like object and who holds aloft a toy wreath, detailed with male genitalia.

Religion and its pace in 21st century society are topics that are also never too far away although the subject is often treated ironically. The most successful of these pieces is Rose Finn-Kelcey's It Pays to Pray: a group of four interactive electronic displays, each crafted to resemble the front of a vending machine. Upon inserting a 20p coin, the viewer can select a brand of prayer, and it will duly be displayed on the electronic screen, making for an amusing, canny moment of interaction. Also notable is Cathy de Monchaux's Confessional: a structure that seems to live up to its name as a soothing spiritual sanctum, but inside is coated with the garish velvet seating of a soulless modern building.



A worthy end to the amble round Goodwood - and the KUDOS highlight of the Foundation's current collection - is Bill Woodrow's Regardless of History: an utterly one of a kind 30 foot depiction of the folly of human endeavour. Working upward, a plinth forms the basis of the piece, on top of which sit a human head and a closed book. On top of all three is a gnarled tree, whose roots stretch over the three symbols of human history and envelop them, It is a perfect illustration of the uneasy relationship between man and his environment, and one that further emphasises the virtue of projects like the Cass Sculpture Foundation, where natural and man-made sculpture co-exist magically.


Article originally published in Kudos Magazine (pdf-link), October 2008.