Two Sussex artists responsible for a controversial ‘poo’ sculpture have embarked on an expedition to Mongolia.
Mark and Rebecca Ford exchanged the rolling hills of Sussex for the Mongolian steppes in late February as part of a land art expedition.
The duo are responsible for a controversial periwinkle sculpture at the Medmerry Nature Reserve, near Chichester, which was designed to imitate the tiny creature.
(Image: Two Circles Design)
But the artwork drew many comparisons online to the poo emoji.
Their latest project is titled ‘Javar’, which is the Mongolian concept of frost as a metaphor for resilience, hibernation and inner renewal.
It saw the adventurers travel more than 350 miles through treacherous conditions to create site-specific works, bridging the cultural and ecological narratives of home with the nomadic culture of the Mongolian wilderness.
The pair worked with the OIRArt Hub – an art organisation, which created the Javar International Winter Art Residency 2026 – the first residency of its kind in Mongolia.
The programme, which ran from the end of February until March 7, saw ten international artists create site-specific works in the region of Lake Khuvsgol, the country’s biggest freshwater lake.
This art residency enabled artists to create works in outdoor settings, using only natural materials found on-site to create temporary installations.
In the case of Lake Khuvsgol, the lake has nearly 70 per cent of Mongolia’s fresh water.
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The Sussex-based duo, working as Two Circles Design, create site-specific installations and sculptures from found and grown natural materials. (Image: Mark and Rebecca Ford)
Khuvsgol Lake is surrounded by the snow-capped Sayan Mountains and Taiga forests.
This area is known for its rugged landscape, with the weather reaching -30 degrees Celsius.
Mark and Rebecca held a collaborative visual arts workshop for elementary school students at Elite International School, Ulaanbaatar, on March 3.
A public lecture on land art and environmental artistic practice was presented by the Fords on March 4, at the Mongolian National University of Arts, Film and Culture.
Mark and Rebecca also presented some of their insights and experiences from the residency on the Mongolian television programme This Morning on March 5.
A video documentary showcasing the work of the art residency will be released in April 2026 on the OIR Art Hub YouTube channel.