May 2018



Hilary Jack’s The Messenger



4 May – 1 October
Open Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday


The highly anticipated second season of Borders Sculpture Park at Mellerstain has just been launched with The Messenger, a series of newly commissioned artworks by British artist Hilary Jack.


Jack’s exciting new project is the second commission by Borders Sculpture Park, which brings innovative and reflective contemporary art to the Scottish Borders, within the classical setting of the House and Gardens here at Mellerstain.


The Messenger is a series of four site specific works in the landscape at Mellerstain, made in response to the rich history of the house and the fascinating characters who lived here, revealing the intriguing story of the family that has created and maintained one of Scotland’s most outstanding examples of 18th century architecture.


Curated by Sarah Coulson of Yorkshire Sculpture Park, each of Jack’s four artworks in The Messenger focuses on a different aspect of this compelling narrative, from Mellerstain House’s foundation in 1725 up to the present day. The first lady of the house, Lady Grisel Baillie, known for her meticulous bookkeeping that conveys a detailed and engaging picture of household life, stands as a strong and inspiring female presence throughout the series and was a source of particular inspiration to the artist.




The Messenger



Welcoming visitors to the park, The Messenger typifies Jack’s approach of melding past and present. The work is the first to reference Lady Grisel Baillie, who, aged 12, delivered messages from her father, Sir Patrick Hume, to the imprisoned Scottish conspirator Robert Baillie. It is thought that she met his son George Baillie (1664-1738) at this time, and they married fifteen years later. The couple later commissioned William and Robert Adam to build and decorate the neoclassical style house for which Mellerstain is now famous.


A statue of Hermes has stood on the front terrace at Mellerstain for many years. In Greek Mythology, Hermes was a herald and messenger to the gods, and possessed numerous powers often embodied in the staff he traditionally holds, known as the Caduceus. The Caduceus is a symbol of trade, negotiation, writing and commerce, and here acts as a link to the considerable gifts of Lady Grisel. Having lost its stone Caduceus some years ago, Jack has intervened to repair Mellerstain’s statue of Hermes with new dayglow Perspex one, intricately detailed with etching. It represents the union of Grisel and George and the extraordinary events that followed.



In Memoriam



The beautifully decorated interior of the house is one of the finest examples of the work of Scottish architect and designer Robert Adam. It is adorned with ceiling roses throughout, and these designs are now celebrated outside the house in Jack’s In Memoriam a 25-metre wide drawing on the lawn in white turf paint. This piece also serves as a memorial to the 13th Earl, John Baillie Hamilton (1941 – 2016), a British peer and politician famed for his extensive knowledge of crop circles and interest in the paranormal, who resided at Mellerstain throughout his life until his death in 2016.



Look Out



Also on the lawn is Look Out a recreation of a former observation tower that once stood between the east and west wings of the house. The original building, like many in the region, was created as a look out post, and may have been used for securing household possessions, livestock and residents, during battles and raids by The Border Reivers. Built simply out of stone these towers had iron baskets with a peat fire in the cupola, which was lit as a beacon to signal danger. In reference to this fact, Look Out has smoke that gently rises when visitors approach.


Jack’s facsimile resembles a dolls’ house, similar to one in the collection inside the house. At the back of the tower visitors can discover a series of shelves on which sit copies of some of the objects listed in Lady Grisel’s account books – swords, cart wheels, barrels of gunpowder, sacks of food, a chandelier and various household and farming items. The objects reference the extraordinary details of the household management at Mellerstain and evoke the everyday, and extraordinary, lives and travels of former residents.



No Borders



Overlooking the lake stands a bold large-scale white neon text work, mounted high on a scaffold, entitled No Borders. An ode to George and Grisel Baillie’s free spirited travels, it reads ‘No Borders, Just Horizons, Only Freedom’, a quote by American aviator and feminist icon Amelia Earheart, who was a pioneering female explorer of the early twentieth century known for pushing boundaries. This quote also reminds visitors of Mellerstain’s close proximity to the Anglo Scottish border and alludes to contemporary debates on Scottish independence, Brexit and the wider role of borders, referencing both personal boundaries and freedom of movement.



About the Artist



Hilary Jack works across media in research based projects involving site referential artworks, sculptural installations and public interventions. Her work has an activist element, highlighting the concept of built in obsolescence while commenting on the politics of place and the history of location.


Hilary has exhibited across the UK and Internationally, she is co director of Paradise Works where her studio is based on the Salford Manchester border. In 2016 Hilary was awarded The Spinningfields Art Commission by Allied London.


Selected solo and group exhibitions include:

Creating the Countryside at Compton Verney, Warwickshire, a major exhibition of over 300 historic and contemporary artists.

The Late Great Planet Earth (solo), Bury Sculpture Centre, Greater Manchester.

Migrants Objects, Pocca Gallery, Bilbao, Spain.

Finding Treblinka, The Museum of Struggle, Warsaw, Poland, 2014, touring to The Weiner Library, Russell Square, London 2015.

Scent of Pine (solo) at Castlefield Gallery Manchester touring to Carter Presents, London.

Conflux06, New York Extreme Crafts, Lithuania (2009).

Meeting Point, Axel Lapp Projects Berlin.


Selected Commissions include:

Empty Nest at Flights of Fancy, The Tatton Park Biennial of Contemporary Art, Tatton Park, Cheshire curated by Danielle Arnaud and Jordan Kaplan (2012) re commissioned for the annual programme curated by Antonia Harrison, at Compton Verney, Warwickshire (2013).

Packwood Follies, National Trust Packwood House, Warwickshire (2014).
InsideOutHouse, The Lost Gardens, curated by Natasha Howes, at Manchester Art Gallery (2014);
Emergency Meadow, The Irwell Sculpture Trail, Kirklees Valley, Lancashire (2015).


‘I’m really thrilled to have been selected to work at this amazing and historic site. My intention for this new body of work is to explore the politics of location at this historic home on the Anglo Scottish border from its early beginnings to the present day. The Messenger can also be viewed through a contemporary political lens regarding personal freedoms, global border conflicts and freedom of thought.’ Artist, Hilary Jack



About the Curator



Sarah Coulson is Curator at Yorkshire Sculpture Park. She works on the development and curation of a variety of exhibitions, including Giuseppe Penone, Ursula von Rydingsvard, Yinka Shonibare MBE and Peter Randall-Page. Sarah has recently curated two exhibitions from the Arts Council Collection as part of the National Partners Programme, including a number of new commissions. As well as curating exhibitions and projects, Sarah works with artists to conceive and design all major YSP publications, recently including KAWS, Tony Cragg, Henry Moore, Jaume Plensa and David Nash. Sarah has also been involved in the management and delivery of major off-site projects, including Ursula von Rydingsvard at the 2015 Venice Biennale. She has a particular interest in poetry and has recently produced books with both Simon Armitage and Scottish Makar Jackie Kay featuring specially commissioned poetry collections.


‘For the second season of Borders Sculpture Park, I am delighted that Hilary Jack has embraced the history and vibrant characters associated with Mellerstain, particularly the 13th Earl, John Baillie Hamilton, who was instrumental in developing this new contemporary art programme, as well as the much earlier inspirational figure of Lady Grisel Baillie. Hilary’s work has brought together past and present in an intriguing and thoughtful way, encouraging us to reflect on both. Expressed through an exciting range of materials, The Messenger will draw visitors into an unfurling dialogue between contemporary practice and historic narrative.’

Curator, Sarah Coulson


Hilary Jack’s The Messenger will be on show at Mellerstain from 4 May until 1 October 2018.



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