Waddesdon Manor has transformed its grounds into a temporary landscape of large-scale environmental artworks as Art in Nature returns, bringing together land and environmental artists from across the UK and beyond.
At the centre of this year’s programme is a new collaborative work by James Brunt and Jon Foreman of Sculpt the World, who return following last year’s collaboration to create a monumental Waddesdon Manor Mandala spanning more than 70 metres across the North Front lawn.
Created with support from artists Mark Ford and Eric Ford over four days, the large-scale work takes visual cues from the architecture and landscape surrounding it. At its centre are motifs inspired by the Manor’s architectural details, expanding outward through pediments and sculptural forms before transitioning into patterns drawn from the natural world.
Running until 31st May, Art in Nature brings together artists working across environmental and land-based practices, encouraging visitors not only to encounter temporary artworks throughout the estate, but also to participate directly through workshops, talks, masterclasses and large-scale collaborative making.
James Brunt said:
“We have been very much looking forward to Art in Nature 2026 and are thrilled to share our work and ethos with people. There are some familiar faces returning to create their wonderful work, artists like Jon Foreman of Sculpt the World, Rebecca and Mark Ford of Two Circles Design and Tim Pugh, along with a host of new faces all being inspired by the Manor’s grounds for the first time.”
Among the artists participating this year are Rebecca and Mark Ford of Two Circles Design, Tim Pugh, Ana Castilho, Richard Shilling, Julia Brooklyn and artist and disability activist Sam Cleasby, alongside visitors from further afield, including Eric and Kasey Ford, travelling from Illinois.
Pippa Shirley, Director of Waddesdon, said:
“The Manor is an inspirational place for artists, and we are absolutely delighted to be working with James and his talented collaborators on this project which uses our unique landscape and beauty in such a creative way.”
She continued:
“It makes us recognise not only the beauty of the natural world but also its essential role as a habitat for wildlife and how we all need to work together to protect it now and for the future.”
Working with leaves, stones, branches, earth and other natural materials, many of the artworks created for Art in Nature embrace ephemerality, existing only temporarily before gradually returning to the landscape from which they emerged.
More than a conventional sculpture trail, the programme invites visitors to see nature itself as both material and collaborator, blurring the line between making, landscape and collective experience.
Art in Nature Until 31st May 2026 Waddesdon Manor
*Price Included with Grounds Admission
About
Waddesdon Manor–The Manor is a world where art, history and nature meet. Created in 1874 by Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild, the French-inspired chateau was built for beauty, for a collection, and for entertaining. Today, its doors open wide to reveal masterpieces and curiosities, sweeping gardens, and hidden corners, stories that surprise and details that delight. The Manor is a living emblem of the work of the Rothschild Foundation: a family charitable trust active in the arts, community, nature and sustainability. In partnership with the National Trust, is more than a historic house: it is a place of imagination and encounter, sustained and kept vibrant for each generation. A place to escape the everyday – a home for discovery and an inspiration for the world – where you can truly experience the extraordinary. @waddesdonmanor_nt
