Bradford 2025 art finds new home at Yorkshire Sculpture Park

Sculptures commissioned for Bradford’s City of Culture year have gone on display at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park (YSP), near Wakefield.

The pieces, created by different artists, were part of the Wild Uplands installation on the moors above Haworth, which ended last autumn.

The attraction is now displaying the Muamba Posy by Vanesssa da Silva.

The huge, twisting features were commissioned by Bradford 2025 and their move to the park aims to build on the legacy of the city’s year as UK City of Culture.

The installation’s large organic forms and vivid colours were inspired by the area’s ever changing cycles of nature, where life has continuously adapted over time.

In a statement, the park said: “Around 300 million years ago, in the Carboniferous period, Penistone Hill was part of a lush tropical forest with a climate similar to today’s Amazon.

“The sculptures draw on the flora and fauna of that ancient ecosystem while also reflecting the contemporary landscape, echoing indigenous plants such as heather and bilberry.”

The work reflects da Silva’s own identity as a Brazilian living in the UK, and the title is a combination of Brazilian Portuguese and English words, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Muamba is a slang term for smuggling goods across borders and posy a small bouquet of flowers.

“I see the sculptures as a space for people to gather, to pause and connect with the nature around them. I’d like visitors to leave with a sense of calm, connection, but also joy,” da Silva said.

Commenting on the new works, YSP’s head of programmes Dr Alex Hodby said: “Da Silva animates the landscape with vibrant reflections on time, ecology, and identity.”