A NEW work by poet laureate Simon Armitage is featuring at the Lost Gardens of Heligan, near Mevagissey, this Christmas.
The haiku poem, entitled ‘Web’, marks the start of a year-long collaboration between the attraction and the leading poet.
Inspired by Simon’s visits to the gardens, which are set across more than 200 acres, the work celebrates the diversity of the estate’s habitats and shines a spotlight on spiders and their silky threads.
The projected poem is accompanied by a large illuminated walnut orb-weaver spider installation created by the Lantern Company for the seasonal Heligan Night Garden.
Simon said: “Working with Heligan has been a kind of dream, because its gardens and paths and its jungle are a sort of dreamscape as much as a landscape, a place that stays in the mind and where the imagination is invited to take over.
“I got lost in the Lost Gardens, made poems like little dens and treehouses, and didn’t want to be found.”
Heligan managing director Laura Chesterfield said: “It has been an honour to welcome Simon to Heligan to interpret in this very special way our commitment to biodiversity and the habitats we carefully steward.
“We look forward to unveiling the full collection in 2025, and this haiku provides a perfect introduction of what’s to come.”
Simon’s new Web poem is the first to be shared from a new collection, Dwell, to be published by Faber in May of next year. It can be enjoyed at the Heligan Night Garden on various dates until January 4.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson said: “Heligan is delighted to partner with the Lantern Company once again.
“The Lantern Company create amazing and memorable events, day and night. They delight in giving the thrill of experiencing something mysterious, beautiful and absurd, often all at the same time.”