St Stephen Walbrook, an important church in the City of London designed by Christopher Wren in 1672, accommodates the first classical dome to have been built in England and was Wren’s prototype for St Paul’s Cathedral. This architectural relationship provides a physical and interpretive context for the premiere of new work by Mark Dean and Lizzi Kew Ross & Co, in two events curated by Lucy Newman Cleeve.
Stations of the Cross brings together 14 video works by Mark Dean that reinterpret the Medieval tradition of making a spiritual pilgrimage through contemplation of the path Jesus walked to Calvary on the day of his crucifixion. The videos are not literal depictions of this journey. They rely upon Dean’s trademark appropriation of iconic film and video footage and music, to introduce visual and aural puns that behave as the generators and interrogators of meaning within the work, setting up a series of disputations between the different elements being sampled. They will be projected onto the circular Henry Moore altar at St Stephen Walbrook throughout the night on Easter eve. Audience members are invited to stay for the duration but free to come and go, as part of a vigil event that culminates in a performance of A Prelude to Being Here by Lizzi Kew Ross & Co and an optional dawn Eucharist.
The videos are not literal depictions of this journey. They rely upon Dean’s trademark appropriation of iconic film and video footage
Here Comes The Sony is a 12 monitor video and sound installation that reinterprets the less definitive tradition of the Stations of the Resurrection, which emerged to encourage meditation on the resurrection appearances of Jesus, and will be installed for the first time under the dome of St Paul’s Cathedral during Eastertide. Being Here, devised by choreographer, Lizzi Kew Ross and the dancers connects the two events and will be performed in the middle of the circular stage formed by the placement of the television monitors. It combines images of human presence, comfort, hope, loss and regret implicit in the Resurrection stories with the shifting qualities of colour and sound formed by the installation. While not enacting the narratives, the dance performance is an interpretation of the moment, producing a sense of a shared journey and progression through time and space and enabling the audience to curate the tension and the distance between the installation and their own responses.
Wren designed his churches to be ‘auditories’ in which everyone present could see, hear and feel themselves part of the congregation. Stations of the Cross and Stations of the Resurrection function in a similar way to the Mystery Plays, providing a contemporary reinterpretation of the story of Easter. The audience is an integral part of each event that, like the Visitatio Sepulchri liturgical dramas from the 10th – 11th centuries, are firmly placed in local contexts and intended to involve the whole community. Harvey Bradley, who is curating the exhibition, writes: “Years ago I studied silversmithing and still remember the exciting designs that we students produced – mostly never seen outside the college. We have used the enthusiasm and inspiration of commission4mission members, many of whom have graduated from Art Colleges, to create this prestigious exhibition in Norwich, showcasing their skills, talents and ingenuity. I feel sure that this will interest and inspire general visitors to the cathedral, as well as those involved in Art and Design”.
The cross as a Christian symbol offers a wide range of visual interpretations with many potential commentaries attached to its use. We also recognise that the symbol of the cross is accessible to both peoples of faith and of no declared faith.
Our exhibition demonstrates a high quality of design and craftsmanship and gives personal insights into what the cross means to the artists. There will be finished work, design concepts and background ideas. Included are historical and cultural references to Greek, Latin, Jerusalem and Coptic versions of this powerful symbol.”
The exhibition includes work by: Hayley Bowen, Harvey Bradley, Irina Bradley, Jonathan Evens, Terry Fyffe, Rob Floyd, Dorothy Gager (USA), Maurizio Galia (Italy), Michael Garaway, John Gentry, Michelle Gillam-Hull, Clorinda Goodman, Judy Goring, Deborah Harrison, Tim Harrold, Anthony Hodgson, Jean Lamb, Mark Lewis, David Millidge, Victoria Norton, Colin Riches, Janet Roberts, Henry Shelton and Peter Webb. In addition, a church congregation project has been completed by members of St Mark’s Church, Oulton Broad, Suffolk where people of all ages contributed individual crosses for a large banner to be displayed at this exhibition, as well as later in their church.
Our exhibition demonstrates a high quality of design and craftsmanship and gives personal insights into what the cross means to the artists
Harvey Bradley, who is curating the exhibition, writes: “Years ago I studied silversmithing and still remember the exciting designs that we students produced – mostly never seen outside the college. We have used the enthusiasm and inspiration of commission4mission members, many of whom have graduated from Art Colleges, to create this prestigious exhibition in Norwich, showcasing their skills, talents and ingenuity. I feel sure that this will interest and inspire general visitors to the cathedral, as well as those involved in Art and Design”.
The cross as a Christian symbol offers a wide range of visual interpretations with many potential commentaries attached to its use. We also recognise that the symbol of the cross is accessible to both peoples of faith and of no declared faith.
Our exhibition demonstrates a high quality of design and craftsmanship and gives personal insights into what the cross means to the artists. There will be finished work, design concepts and background ideas. Included are historical and cultural references to Greek, Latin, Jerusalem and Coptic versions of this powerful symbol.”
The exhibition includes work by: Hayley Bowen, Harvey Bradley, Irina Bradley, Jonathan Evens, Terry Ffyffe, Rob Floyd, Dorothy Gager (USA), Maurizio Galia (Italy), Michael Garaway, John Gentry, Michelle Gillam-Hull, Clorinda Goodman, Judy Goring, Deborah Harrison, Tim Harrold, Anthony Hodgson, Jean Lamb, Mark Lewis, David Millidge, Victoria Norton, Colin Riches, Janet Roberts, Henry Shelton and Peter Webb. In addition, a church congregation project has been completed by members of St Mark’s Church, Oulton Broad, Suffolk where people of all ages contributed individual crosses for a large banner to be displayed at this exhibition, as well as later in their church.
commission4mission is also organising a programme of art talks during the exhibition. These will include interpretations of The Cross in contemporary art and culture, exploration of issues in contemporary commissioning, and an exposition on themes from ‘The Bridge’ using spoken word, poetry and song. The programme begins with ‘Understanding abstraction as a door to the spiritual’. On Thursday, April 20th in The Hostry, Mark Lewis will offer thoughts about the way in which abstraction, particularly in its non-objective form, can give access to spiritual experience or awareness. In doing so, he will use his works included in ‘The Cross’ exhibition to illustrate his thoughts and ideas.
Icons in the Making, a talk by Dr Irina Bradley will be held at 5.00pm, Saturday 29 April, in the Weston Room. This lecture will explore the history of Byzantine art as well as the icon painting process with its rich symbolism and spirituality. Dr Bradley is a scholar and an icon painter, who was awarded a PhD for her thesis Spiritual Striving in Icon Painting with the emphasis on images of St George and the Dragon and a series of icons and contemporary paintings she created. Upon her graduation, Dr Bradley’s work was exhibited at the Prince’s School of Traditional Arts in London, where she undertook her studies and where she is a visiting tutor for the MA and general public programs. Dr Bradley’s work is worldwide including churches, private chapels and private collections.
The events are free but places are limited. Tickets can be booked in advance from www.stationsofthecross2017.eventbrite.co.uk