Rosemarie Castoro: Trap A Zoid

Exhibition

From Saturday 17th February to 5th March, Mostyn will restage ‘Trap A Zoid’, one of Rosemarie Castoro’s most ambitious public projects on a prominent location on West Shore Beach, Llandudno.

This work has only ever been presented once before, in the late 1970s in New York, and created from around 200 tree trunks. Described by Castoro as a “painting you can walk in”, it will be created for this second iteration using reclaimed, locally sourced and processed timber tree trunks donated by The Timber Cooperative, a local North Wales social enterprise.

The original outdoor work has only ever been shown only once, in 1978, for Creative Time’s Art on the Beach on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Castoro chose to work with cylindrical logs to create a field in the form of an asymmetrical geometric shape. A drawing in the collection of Yale University Art Gallery reveals the grid structure that underlies this work. A series of journal photographs from 1978 show Castoro working through the use of such arrangements of wooden elements in related works titled Pier Group and Tank Trap. In a telling inscription alongside these images is the phrase “an obstacle course for a dancer,” revealing the continued referencing of the dancer’s body in movement. These works address perception through perspective and heightened recession, a recurrence of the theme of infinity in Castoro’s work. For Mostyn, North Wales trees will be used to reflect the local context, laid in a grid overlooking the town’s local beaches.

Clare Harding, Interim Director, Mostyn, said, “We are thrilled to display this important outdoor work as a celebration of Rosemarie’s exhibition in Mostyn and to bring such an important work to life again, over 40 years after it was first made”

Werner Pichler, co-founder of the Estate of Rosemarie Castoro said, “To recreate Trap A Zoid is certainly a wonderful opportunity to bring one of Rosemarie’s large scale installations back to life! Already the photographs that document the installation from 1978 are very powerful. So I am sure that to actually stand in front of that work, life size, will be a remarkable experience. Since there are records of the diagrams which Rosemarie based her installation on, it will be possible to come up with an installation completely true to the artist’s intention. The Estate is very grateful to Mostyn and the Henry Moore Foundation for this extraordinary chance to show one of Rosemarie’s major outdoor art works, alongside with her works that will be shown in the museum”

The Rosemarie Castoro exhibition Carving Space remains open at Mostyn until February 25th, and includes works on paper, concrete poetry, wall relief work, sculptural pieces and archival material.

Health and safety / accessibility 

This work is installed on West Shore Beach, Llandudno, at the Dale Road end of the beach. 

Visitors are welcome to encounter the work in two ways – by viewing it from behind safety barriers, or by entering the installation and moving around it. 

Viewing will be possible at all day throughout the installation period, but entering the installation is only possible when our invigilators are present – between 11 and 3pm, Tuesday to Saturday from February 17th to March 5th.  

As the work is outdoors it may be unavailable for entering during heavy rain or high winds. You are welcome to call us on 01492 879201 to check on availability if you are planning a visit. 

Please note that the work is located on the grassy area next to the beach and the ground can be uneven, especially after rain.

Moving around the installation will require moving around the logs and ropes that connect them and extra care should be taken to avoid trips and falls. However, you can also clearly view the work from the perimeter walkway or from behind safety barriers.

Postcode: The work is located near LL30 2BD, and the Dale Road pay and display car park.

OS grid ref.: SH 7709 8200

What Three Words: ///straddled.storm.boil

The Dale Road pay and display public car park is next to the beach and Trap A Zoid. There is a charge to park here. Free on road parking is available on Great Ormes Road but please always park with consideration for local residents. 

Public toilet facilities are located a few minutes away adjacent to the North Shore playground. These facilities include a disabled toilet and baby change. There is a charge of 50p for using the facilities. 

The café at West Shore is open Wednesday – Sunday 10am – 4pm, and food and drinks are available at The Lilly, a short distance away on West Parade.