Play installation by Yorkshire artist opens at Castle Howard

An interactive art installation designed to encourage people of all ages to play has opened at Castle Howard, Yorkshire’s most famous stately home.

Open to the public from today, Playshapes: Castle Constructors is a large-scale, hands-on installation made from five one-metre coloured cubes that can be broken down into steps, triangles, polygons, cylinders and prisms. Set out initially in a simple grid, the forms can be transformed by children and adults into towers, follies and dens, before being reassembled at the end of each session.

Playshapes is designed by Pippa Hale, an artist and sculptor whose practice centres around social history, geography and play, with previous works at The Bowes Museum, Wentworth Woodhouse and the National Railway Museum. The installation has been delivered by Timberplay, a leading designer of research-led, play environments with over 25 years of experience creating distinctive play spaces across the UK and internationally.

The Castle Howard installation is inspired by the stately home’s architect Sir John Vanbrugh, as part of an annual programme of celebrations marking Vanbrugh’s tercentenary year.

Playshapes: Castle Constructures has been installed in the Colonnade area of the House, which is rarely open to the public. This area was destroyed by the catastrophic fire of 1940, which damaged much of the House.

Pippa Hale said: ‘I’m excited for visitors to experience architecture through play, inspired by the bold imagination of Sir John Vanbrugh. It’s a delight to bring Playshapes to the Colonnade at Castle Howard, which is such a unique location that will most certainly inspire creative play. I can’t wait to see what the Castle Howard visitors create!’

Playshapes by Pippa Hale is one of three responses as part of the Vanbrugh 300 celebrations. The exhibition Staging the Baroque: Vanbrugh at Castle Howard, designed and curated by architect Roz Barr, is now open inside the House. A new public sculpture, Library of the Four Winds, created by internationally renowned artist Es Devlin, opens at the Temple of the Four Winds in the Gardens on the 13th June.

Elsewhere on the Estate, the Castle Howard Arboretum are celebrating May Half Term with Mini Beasts, a program of activities celebrating creepy crawlies. Plus, a newly arrived red squirrel, whose name is yet to be decided by poll, will be viewable in the Red Squirrel Enclosure from 25th May.

Playshapes: Castle Constructors is included in Castle Howard admission tickets, and runs until 31^st October. For full event listings and to book tickets: castlehoward.co.uk