Nestled in the meadows of Runnymede, a site-specific installation commissioned by the UK’s National Trust subtly honors events that took place in this lush countryside more than 800 years ago. It was here that feudal barons forced King John to put his seal on the Magna Carta—a document that established principles of individual rights and the rule of law. Named Writ in Water, a nod to British poet John Keats’s epitaph, the architectural artwork, designed by Turner Prize–winning artist Mark Wallinger with architecture firm Studio Octopi, relies on historical references and the permeating presence of the surrounding landscape to prompt contemplation.
Wallinger, who was originally selected as the sole designer, developed the underlying concept. Inspired by a medieval castle keep, he envisioned a cylindrical chamber containing a shallow pool with an oculus positioned directly above it. A clause from the Magna Carta would be engraved inside the pool’s metal ring. When the artist’s design took shape as a space people could occupy, the need for an architect became apparent, so Wallinger called on London-based Studio Octopi.
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