Mark Handforth conceived Cypress Reds and Cypress Violets, two large benches located on two different boardwalks on the promenade of the Art Park. The seat and backrest of the benches are formed by three wooden boards, which were obtained from the trunk of a majestic cypress that used to grow on the hill of San Licerio and fell due to physiological ageing. Two of the wooden boards were left in their natural form, while the one in the centre is varnished. The coloured board has regular edges, while the natural wood boards are left with their grains, knots and slits.

The artist explains, that “the bench provides a rigid framework within which the natural form of the wood can speak”. His direct references to minimalism and the modernist project, based on standardisation and modularity, stand in direct confrontation with the beauty and freedom of the natural world. This conversation remains fixed within the form of the bench and in its comfort.“We finish the sculpture when we sit and we tilt the balance of the piece toward nature. In cutting down trees, we reduce the greatness of nature to a standardised object. The cypress used for this work –the artist recounts – was a majestic tree that had fallen naturally and so these benches are a memory of that former tree, an ode to its beauty in this special place.”