Gently Enticing is a re-working of Drift, 2005. It was exhibited at Barrington Court as part of Scion, a Trust New Art project, commissioned by Beacon Art Project in partnership with the National Trust. The Master Bedroom, like many other rooms in Barrington Court, is lined with wood paneling from Arthur Lyle’s extensive collection. However, unlike elsewhere in the Court, the panels have no decorative element apart from the simple repetitive pattern created by their arrangement. Upon entering the room your attention is drawn to the end wall, now plain and unadorned, but during Lyle’s time it was the location for a grand bed.
Using hand flocked wallpaper made by Cole & Son, London, I re-created a focal point for the end wall, which gently entices visitors to imagine the decorative details and rich colours that once embellished the room. It also introduces the feminine into the masculinity of the paneled interior. Gently Enticing consists of 36 wallpapered panels, placed on the floor to mirror the paneling.
The gardens at Barrington Court were strongly influenced by Gertrude Jekyll and the floral design echoes the common plants favored by her. The graduation of colour replicates the drifts of colour used in Jekyll’s planting schemes; it also echoes the colors that are to be seen in Barrington Court’s garden during the summer. As the light in the Master Bedroom changes, so does the colour and surface quality of the wallpaper, much like a garden.