Chatsworth Burning Man sculpture to go up in flames

Chatsworth said the exhibition had attracted thousands of visitors

One of 12 monumental sculptures currently on display at an outdoor art exhibition at a country estate is to be set on fire.

The nine-metre (29ft) high sculpture, called Relevé, will be ignited to close the exhibition Radical Horizons: The Art of Burning Man at Chatsworth, Derbyshire.

The exhibition has been running since April.

Following the burning, the remaining sculptures will be dismantled.

Relevé is built largely of timber and was designed to be burned

Relevé, a monumental timber structure by artist Rebekah Waites, was designed and built for the purpose of being burned, following the tradition of the the Burning Man festival in Nevada, on which the event is based.

The sculpture was inspired by the Nine Ladies Stone Circle, a Bronze Age archaeological site located near Chatsworth.

The sculpture was inspired by a Bronze Age archaeological site

Visitors to the exhibition have been writing notes on Relevé in the knowledge that the sculpture will be burned.

A procession of huge wicker and tissue paper lanterns lit with LED lights, created with Year 9 pupils at Outwood Academy in Newbold, will guide visitors to the burning.

The Duke and Duchess of Devonshire said their home offered the perfect backdrop

A spokesperson for Chatsworth estate said the exhibition had attracted thousands of visitors to its free-to-access parkland.

Following the burning, the remaining sculptures will be dismantled and moved to other locations.

Other sculptures will be dismantled

The event, which is ticketed, starts at 18:30 BST on Saturday and will also feature a fireworks display.

The Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, who own the estate, said there was a tradition of using it as a backdrop for contemporary works.

Jonathan Fish, from Chatsworth, said: "This will be a fitting finale to what has been a fantastic exhibition.

"We have welcomed people from far and wide to enjoy the Burning Man sculptures this year and it feels only right to go out in true Burning Man style, by igniting this incredible piece, built specifically for this purpose with help from local communities."