Published: 24/07/2024
Updated: 19/12/2024
Art + Christianity, in collaboration with Friends of Friendless Churches, are hosting ‘Vessel’, a ground-breaking exhibition, offering an art trail and pilgrimage to seven ancient rural churches in and near the Black Mountains in Monmouthshire and Herefordshire.
The exhibition will be open to the public from 8 August until 31 October, 2024.
From 13-15 September, a weekend retreat based in Abergavenny will include a guided tour and performance work.
We are delighted that six of our medieval churches in the Black Mountains region will be included in Vessel — an exhibition of contemporary art installations that form a deeply moving art trail through this stunning region of dramatic peaks, verdant valleys and picturesque villages. Vessel has been created by Art + Christianity in collaboration with the Friends of Friendless Churches, and is curated by Jacquiline Creswell (acclaimed for her visual arts programming for cathedrals).
At each of these remote rural parish churches in Monmouthshire, as well as Urishay Castle chapel and 12th-century Dore Abbey in Herefordshire, an artist has been inspired by the many definitions of the word ‘vessel’, exploring concepts relating to containment, transportation, embodiment and transformation. Each church will host a single installation or artwork, sited in a particular relationship to the church and its material culture, and sympathetically and sensitively presented as a coherent and meaningful experience.
The six FoFC churches hosting artworks are listed below. To learn more about the exhibition and weekend retreat visit https://artandchristianity.org/vessel.
The churches in our care are open year-round, and are open daily for the exhibition. There is no fee to enter the churches or view the artworks but donations to support our work are greatly appreciated.
St Mary the Virgin’s, Llanfair Kilgeddin: ‘Centre’ by Steinunn Thórarinsdóttir
An androgynous human form representing all of humanity, Steinunn’s solitary, graceful figure, sited in the churchyard of St Mary’s, casts its contemplative gaze toward the bell tower. Centre is created from rough cast iron, pierced with a glass circle creating a window to the soul, and the sculpture is placed so that light will shine through the glass at certain times of the day.
St Jerome’s, Llangwm Uchaf: ‘White Hart’ by Lucy Glendinning
Lucy’s work incorporates pale feathers to remind us of our symbiotic relationship with the natural world and the context of a church draws us to contemplate angels and their wings. White Hart possesses an ethereal glow which can be glimpsed through the richly carved 15th-century rood screen, and pulls the visitor towards the side chapel of St Jerome’s, in which it stands.
St David’s, Llangeview: ‘Compendium (Tree)’ by Andrew Bick
At St David’s, which sits in an ancient circular churchyard, Andrew’s Compendium (Tree) tapestry is suspended above the West door. The tapestry, informed by Paul Klee’s ‘The Nature of Nature’, was created on an 18th-century loom, which belies its contemporary intensity of colour and geometry echoed in the grid systems of the slim wooden beams in the barrel-vaulted chancel.
Urishay Castle Chapel: ‘Simmer Down’ by Robert George
Simmer Down is a commanding and complex font-like vessel dramatically sited within the single cell building, sparse except for its a concrete nave altar and massive oak lintel. Robert’s vessel is comprised of hundreds of small, oak pots which encrust a sycamore crucible. Textures smooth and rough invite us to consider events in nature, including entropy, the degradation from order to chaos.
St Michael and All Angels’, Gwernesney: ‘Grace Vessel’ by Jane Sheppard
Jane’s Grace Vessel sits quietly in this tiny 13th-century church. She embraces figuration while retaining the essence of a vessel as a container of the spirit. Jane draws on her extensive research into ancient cultural artefacts, and explains that the rhythmic and repetitive process of making is a meditative state which dictates the form of her work.
St Cadoc’s, Llangattock-Vibon-Avel: ‘Possibilities’ by Barbara Beyer
Maritime vessels are used as a metaphor for the church, the word ‘nave’ deriving from the Latin navis for ship. Barbara’s boat forms, moored in the idyllic churchyard of St Cadoc’s, are created from adobe clay, recycled wood and roof slates. These seemingly sturdy vessels have prominent cracks suggesting that they are also vulnerable to the elements.
Please note that at Dore Abbey, 'Life/Blood', a hand-knitted wool work by Lou Baker, will be installed on 21 August. For opening times please visit https://www.doreabbey.org.uk/.
