Bouncy Bouncy

Ancient, mystical...  and bouncy. In his Stonehenge-themed installation, Sacrilege, UK artist Jeremy Deller has created a new take on the prehistoric site. A life-size, inflatable version of the famous stone circle, Sacrilege invites discerning art viewers to get jumping. Already a hit with audiences in the UK, France and Hong Kong, it will be making its Australian debut in Hyde Park from 9 January, as part of Sydney Festival. 

The installation is far removed from the pristine, minimal gallery environment where you usually expect to find contemporary art. “I like the idea of fairground things, with the generators round the back making a racket and stinking the place up – I really like that,” Deller says. Speaking in London, Deller has a hint of a cockney accent and the kind of modest, down-to earth manner that you don't associate with award-winning artists who are invited to represent their country at the Venice Biennale. “It's just a bit of fun,” he says of Sacrilege. “There's nothing really serious about it as an artwork.”

The 47-year-old won the Turner Prize – the UK's most prominent award for art – in 2004, and while Sacrilege shows a playful side, he is also known for more political works. In 2001's The Battle Of Orgreave, he staged a historical reenactment of a violent 1981 clash between striking miners and the police, which featured a cast of over 800 people.

It sounds pretty heavy, but an interest in music, folk art and magic also permeates his ouvre. His interest in Stonehenge goes back to his childhood, he says, when the London-born artist used to visit the standing stones in Wiltshire. “I've always liked British history and old sites ... It's something I've kind of grown up with. I like [Stonehenge] a lot, and I like similar sites a lot. So I feel like I have some sort of knowledge of it. And I'm at ease with it.”

Part of a huge complex of neolithic and Bronze Age remains which include hundreds of burial mounds, the instantly recognisable landmark is a bit of a mystery. “No-one knows what it was there for, really. And no-one ever will know,” Deller points out. While modern-day druids venerate it and can be found celebrating the solstice there each year, Deller is not convinced that they have the key to its meaning. “[Contemporary] Druidry is about 200 years old. It's not based on anything, its just a confection of late 18th century Britain. So they have as much to say about Stonehenge as anyone else.”

Seeing the ridiculous in the sublime is something Deller seems to enjoy. “All religions have elements of farce and ridiculousness – whether it's Paganism or Christianity. You know, if you think deeply about what they represent, it's a bit ridiculous.” Would he ever push the envelope by giving a more contentious sacred site – Mecca or the Wailing Wall, say – the inflatable treatment? “Well the Wailing Wall could be quite interesting... ” he says doubtfully, “but probably not, because it's not my culture, really. I wouldn't feel at ease with it, because I'd be intervening in another culture. But with Stonehenge, I feel quite confident about why I did it, and by the ideas behind it.”

Re-imagining the iconic British site as an inflatable playground has proven popular, and Sacrilege has won ringing endorsements, including support from Mayor of London Boris Johnson, who has called it “a fantastic example of the irreverence that [is] the hallmark of British humour”. Getting the stamp of approval from Boris might be a bit, well, square, but Deller appreciates it anyway. “Approval from politicians is not something you'd ever want, necessarily, is it? But it's a nice thing to have. I don't mind that. I don't go out of my way to get those things, necessarily. But having said that, that work is just a ridiculously popularist work. And it's meant to be.”

At over one hundred feet across, the immense inflatable was surprisingly easy to make. Deller contacted a specialist company who used computers to cut the shapes and then hand-stitched them together. The result is a massive artwork that is unusually portable, and more durable than you imagine. It might not last 5000 years, like the original, but Deller puts its lifespan at a good 20 years. “I'm really happy that it's got a life beyond just being shown last year,” he says.

Deller doesn't feel that the work has a specific message to communicate, but encourages viewers to get stuck in and interact with the exhibit. “They might think about it in different ways, but the immediate experience is for them to enjoy it. It's a blank canvas.” A blank canvas to bounce on? “Exactly,” he laughs.