Summer Fields Helen Escobedo 2008 Born in Mexico City in 1934, Helen (Elena) Having first seen hay bales in England after the Escobedo is an artist of transcultural heritage late summer harvest in 1989, Escobedo became and identity who has established an international intrigued by this aspect of English life and practice of innovation and social relevance. landscape and has created Summer Fields particularly for the Country Park at YSP. Escobedo was inspired to develop her artistic talents when John Skeaping, sculptor and first Transparency is of key importance to the artist husband of Barbara Hepworth, visited her family as she is keen that her projects enhance rather in Mexico. She went on to study sculpture at the than dominate their context. These 20 hay-bale Royal College of Art in London, where visiting type structures are designed in such a way that lecturers included Henry Moore and Jacob they appear to merge and float into the trees of Epstein. Escobedo is one of the first proponents the Bretton Estate: ‘inspired by great rolls of of installation and site-specific sculpture in straw, these double cylinders in rolls are entirely Mexico and often makes use of locally found see-through and change according to the light, natural and man-made materials. becoming visible and at times invisible as they merge with the immediate landscape’. It has been described that Escobedo’s ‘work typically flows with a mixture of planned and Based in Mexico and Berlin, Escobedo has serendipitous decisions, as she collaborates completed commissions around the world, with local helpers and communicates the intimate including Great Cone of Jerusalem, Israel, in connections between art, the natural and human- 1986. Alongside her artistic practice, Escobedo made environment, history and the life of people has served as the Director of three major as individuals and in communities’. museums in Mexico and lectures extensively.