From Fleece to Form: Steve Messam’s Tower on Penistone Hill

Out on the wily, windy moors of Haworth, an extraordinary gallery has sprung up beneath the wide Yorkshire sky. The Wild Uplands Sculpture Trail, set across Penistone Hill Country Park, transforms this rugged landscape into a stage for art inspired by nature and industry. From creative family workshops to summer solstice celebrations, the programme offers something for everyone, yet its heart lies in the site-specific works of four invited artists.

Curated by Shanaz Gulzar, Creative Director of Bradford 2025, Wild Uplands brings together Monira Al Qadiri, Meherunnisa Asad with Studio Lél, Vanessa da Silva and Steve Messam. Each artwork responds to the moors’ sweeping geology and the region’s intertwined stories of labour, craft, and resilience.

Tower, Steve Messam. Wild uplands Sculpture Trail 2025.

Among them, Steve Messam’s Tower commands attention, not only for its height but for the unexpected softness of its surface. Clad entirely in the raw fleece of Derbyshire Gritstone and Lonk sheep from local farms, the sculpture transforms the skyline of Penistone Hill into something at once monumental and tactile...

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Image Credits:

Lead: Tower, Steve Messam. Wild uplands Sculpture Trail 2025.

All other images as credited in photo captions.