Dan Pearson OBE FSGLD has brought calm and connection to the landscape of Goodwood’s arts space
When Dan Pearson OBE FSGLD was asked by the Goodwood Art Foundation to develop a masterplan for the landscape of its new creative venture in West Sussex, environmental enrichment was as much a part of his remit as accommodating its art and education programmes. Expanding beyond the existing Cass Sculpture Foundation site, Dan has created four habitats – Forest, Edgeland, Meadow and Glade – and is in discussion to bring in the missing element, Water.
‘This was forestry land, with remnants of ancient woodland, so we worked hard to enrich habitat opportunities and create an inviting space with a predominantly native planting rich in biodiversity,’ Dan says. ‘We wanted to take people on a journey, without being too prescriptive, and provide spaces for reflection.’
Hardscaping was kept to a minimum, with local flint used in sculptural benches, as an aggregate in concrete slabs, and as flint gravel in a honeycomb system in the car park.
Phase one was completed in May 2025.
Biodiversity
The design was partially shaped by Dan’s desire to improve biodiversity on the site. ‘Most of the land is under a forestry remit and planted roughly on a grid so to make it feel more natural, we created clearances as far as was permitted by the thinning laws, to open up a series of glades. These became pools of light in a shadowy landscape that encourage people to move from glade to glade and create a completely different environment in which things can grow and exist. We also convinced the estate to give us some adjacent farmland in which to plant natives irregularly out from the forestry trees, producing rich edgeland opportunities enhanced with an over-sowing of local strewings and some imported chalkland wild seed. We already have orchids appearing there, which indicates the site’s rich history.’
‘WE HAVE CREATED A SERIES OF FLEETING MOMENTS THAT WILL DELIGHT, THEN DIM’
Twenty-four seasons
The idea of 24 seasons was conceived to draw people into the landscape and connect them with its seasonal shifts. ‘A woodland is often seen as interesting only in spring and autumn so we have created a series of fleeting moments that will delight, then dim and have disappeared by your next visit.’ Inspired by the fleeting attraction of a bluebell wood in bloom, Dan has planted huge circles of Galanthus, Narcissus and bluebells. ‘For a few years they will make a bold display, then, as they seed outwards, the effect will soften.’ Other seasonal focal points include a massed planting of Yoshino cherries which give an hanami moment in early spring followed by an autumn blaze of colour, and a grove of March-blooming Magnolia ‘Merrill’ under a canopy of beech trees.
Art in the landscape
No area was explicitly designed for a particular sculpture. ‘What we actually set out to create were environments and interludes, although in this first phase we did guide the artists to find the sorts of space each envisioned for their work. Artist Dame Rachel Whiteread wanted clear light in a very open space for her enormous staircase piece, Down and Up. There is also a wonderful sound piece by Susan Philipsz OBE towards the edge of the woodland, just before the point where you hear the roar of the wind from the sea.’
danpearsonstudio.com
goodwoodartfoundation.org