Beverley Minster, East Yorkshire
Artworks on the Theme of Pilgrimage – Retro-Quire, 2004
The Retro-Quire is the easternmost part of Beverley Minster and during the medieval period was the meeting point of thousands of pilgrims who came to visit the shrine of St John of Beverley. The Friends of Beverley Minster wished to enhance the Retro-Quire of the Minster as a place of meditation and prayer by the introduction of 21st century artwork. They initially approached artists working in different media (including stonecarvers, letterers, architectural blacksmiths and stained glass artists). Inspired by their openness to different art forms, by existing artworks within the Retro-Quire, and by a desire to create a sense of movement within the static space, I developed ‘Artworks on a Theme of Pilgrimage’, which was selected for commission. ‘Artworks’ comprises four parts: the Pilgrim Window, two life-sized Sculptured Figures, the Candle Stand, and Benches and Seating for Meditation and Prayer.
The scheme was dedicated by the Archbishop of York, The Most Revd Dr David Hope, on 14 September 2004.
Pilgrim Window (1.5m x 6.4m)
The window is in the 13th century single lancet opening of the south wall and adjacent to the elaborate medieval Great East Window. It is 21ft high and has a bold and largely abstract design. The colour palette is broad: cold blues and whites are situated at the top and bottom of the window and are counter- balanced by burning reds, golds and yellows in the upper central section.
Much of the glass has been painted to add an extra layer of texture and pattern to the design, but this patterning gradually diminishes towards the centre of the window creating a sense of serenity in the middle of a vortex. The design draws the viewer’s eye along the flowing forms of patterning at a gentle pace, with no sense of disjuncture or finality. Within the rhythm of lines one gradually discerns the figures of pilgrims (created from the juxtaposition of geometric shapes) travelling towards the golden glow at the centre. At the lower edge of the glow a group of pilgrims have been transformed into white light with only the barest of detail forming the outline of their shapes.
Sculptured Figures (2m x 2m)
Facing the new window in the north corner of the Retro-Quire are two life-sized figures sculpted in triangles of sheet copper. Their form gives the suggestion that shards of glass have fallen from the Pilgrim window and created them. The leading figure stands with his staff pointing forward. The second shelters behind the first, leaning sideways. Both seem to gaze at the serene heart of the window. The relationship between the figures and the window is firmly established by the incorporation of ‘hearts’ of glass in the sculptures themselves.
These hearts are composed of small fragments of coloured glass, the pieces forming three triangular arrangements set within the upper torsos of the figures. Care has been taken to blend the ancient and the contemporary; thus the curved sheets of copper, which compose the heads of the pilgrims, respond to the form of the trefoil niches that line the Retro-Quire.
Candle Stand (1.2m x 1.2m)
The candle stand is made of copper and is shaped in the form of a cross. The three narrow, triangular tiers (representing the Trinity) are designed to house tea-light candles. At the base of the candle stand a line of six reeded brass columns provides storage for tea-lights.
In taking a tea-light candle to light and place onto the stand, the viewer becomes a part of the scheme – and so begins their own journey within this twenty-first century pilgrimage.
Prayer Benches and Seating
Positioned either side of the candle stand are two gently curved prayer benches and, beyond them, are two curved pews. The furnishing is made from dark oak and the panels on the prayer benches are decorated with a pierced geometric pattern – a theme present in all the pieces within the scheme.
Geometry is at the heart of this scheme. It functions at a practical level as the unifying theme for the work as a whole, as well as being the symbolic medium for the messages of faith and love; the tenets upon which pilgrimages are based.
The two life-sized sculptured figures have three triangular stained glass hearts within them. The hearts function as a crucial link between the figures and the window, as within every pilgrim is the knowledge of the love of God in the form of the Trinity. The heart theme continues within the window itself since here the glass triangles create a path and guide the pilgrim’s journey. Similarly, the viewer’s gaze is invited to follow the spiral pattern formed in the window towards its centre.
The seating and prayer stands are comprised of arcs, which guide the viewer to the candle stand, the new window and the sculptures, where the triangular motif is also continued. The drawing of all geometric patterns, no matter how complex, must begin with the point of a compass. The design for this scheme uses a compass point to represent God the creator, the starting point of all our journeys and, as with all geometric forms, it is impossible to tell the beginning from the end.
Similarly the scheme reflects the intricate pattern of the dual relationship between God and the pilgrim. The copper figures, with their upward projection, point to the window with its message of light. The viewer relates the message of light back to the figures with their hearts full of the light of the love of God.
