From one extraordinary tapestry to an inspired Big Weave

Running in tandem with this year’s Big Draw and as part of the Coventry Cathedral’s Golden Jubilee celebrations was The Big Weave. The ‘community loom’ was operated by visitors including local schools and members of the Cathedral community.

The ‘Journey into Light’ tapestry panels took inspiration from the 195 dazzling panels of the Baptistery Window created by John Piper. As the sun’s light moves across the window, its colours dance across the floor and opposite wall. No moment of a day is the same and each day is different to the last.

Diane and Janet admire the Big Weave display.

Inspiration indeed. The weave took on a new dimension each day and new visitors added their own light-influenced rows.  

To see the full story and more images follow this link the the Weave's own blog: http://www.thebigweave.blogspot.co.uk/

But, before you go take a look at this amazing photo below. Here, Graham Sutherland's 'Christ the Kimg' tapestry (all 74' 8" x 38' of it) can be seen through the loom. There was always someone keeping an eye on the growing weave:

If you have any contributions to reflect life in and around Coventry Cathedrals creative, schools, youth and families community, please e-mail me, Rodney Bashford at rodneybashford@btinternet.com, or Claire Hackwood at Claire.Hackwood@coventrycathedral.org.uk.

Magic Moments from Coventry Cathedral’s 2012 BIG DRAW

Belatedly, I wanted to share some of the magic moments from the 2012 Big Draw. Held at the start of Half Term, 27^th October, it was a great success. Attendance was great and crossed all generations with Grans and Granddaughters; Granddads and Grandsons; Mums and Dads all having a go.

It was a bright sunny morning with low autumn sunshine streaking through the Baptistery Window causing colourful ‘angels’ to dance across the Tablets of the Word on the opposite wall. Someone was definitely with us that morning.

The West Screen doors were opened at 10.00; balloons jigged in the light breeze; giant easels were set; paints at the ready; and brushes, pencils, crayons and sponges lay waiting for a messy fun free morning.

The rest we’ll share with images of the day, but before we do I personally would like to thank Anna Hill on behalf of everybody involved. Anna (who will be adding a baby to her lovely family any moment now) was the driving force behind a year of planning and preparation to make the Big Draw happen.

Her work with the schools in and around Coventry and her encouragement to involve families in the joy that Coventry Cathedral has to offer has been superb. Now on her maternity leave we wish her well and hope her new family will be back to express themselves in art at next year's BIG DRAW...

...enjoy:

The Babtistery Window inspires

The angels looked on

More angels - as the sun struck through the West Screen the shadow of one of the Angels drifted across the paper, moving constantly ahead of the drawer's eager crayons.

Hard at work

Ahh ... the new Babristery Window designer at work - what would Mr Piper think!

Brass rubbing inspired by the falling leaves outside.

Anna's antenatal art

Great attention to detail

Teaching new generations the fun of rubbing - you can't tweet it.

Let the painting speak... great fun

All busy making art

Enjoyment to the finest detail

Thankfully, the under floor heating was on.

Finally - the the Chapel of Christ the Servant, as part of the Cathedral's art exhibition, the winners of the Creative Coventry competition were on display ending a Golden Jubilee year with a golden jamboree of art.

Next year?

Watch this space - we will be reviewing and introducing lots of activities for schools and families to enjoy throughout the year.

Winning Ways for Creative Coventry

Last week, The Reverend Canon Tim Pullen, Acting Dean and Canon Pastor, together with Canon David Stone and Anna Hill, Heritage Education Officer at Coventry Cathedral all revelled in the wonderful submissions to the Creative Coventry Competition on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/groups/coventrycathedralcompetition/

The written submissions were few but interesting; a rush of drawings and paintings filled a splendid Art section; and the photography was as diverse in subject and method as it was supreme in quality.

An enjoyable yet difficult task for Anna and her duo of Canons as winners were selected. Their work now stands shoulder to shoulder with the works of other great artists who have contributed to the creative splendour that makes Coventry Cathedral such an impressive and special place.

Epstein, Beyer, Hullon, Sutherland; Piper, Bridgeman and Sir Basil Spence himself.

And now … our winners:

In the writing, young Ben Davies was our winner with (ahem) myself ad senior runner up. This is Ben's work (my own having been published in the 14th August Blog):

Mark Bailey won the seniors' photography with this tone mapped image:

The runner up in this section was David Shirley's 'Gethsemane':

Now for our artists and first two joint winners in the Under 11 category - first Sadie Aspinall's ' Burnt Cross in Cathedral Ruins' followed by Callum's 'Three Spires':

The Seniors' winner is 'One Night in November' a lovely work by Lesley Higgerson:

...and finally our runner up in this section is Aaron Mullins with his striking piece, 'Rising from the Rubble'.

Thanks to all who took part and to everyone else who showed interest.

Creativity continues at Coventry Cathedral. The Exhibition running now as part of the Golden Jubilee celebrations is a must for anyone who either loves or wants to find out more about the global creativity that went into foundation in 1962. Contributions have added to the collection of arts ever since. Judging from the competition submissions, Coventry Cathedral will continue to inspire fresh views and artistic impressions for many years to come.

THE BIG DRAW:

Join Coventry Cathedral and Herbert Art Gallery & Museum as we celebrate the national event of THE BIG DRAW, inspired by the structures and splendour of both the Cathedral and the Herbert.

Saturday 27 October 2012

10.00 - 14.00 : Cathedral

11.00 - 15.00 : Herbert

The theme this year is:

‘structures of splendour’

Start your day at the Cathedral - FREE to BIG DRAW participants - and use its art and architecture to create exciting drawings. Then, take these across to the Herbert and use the sketches to inspire your decoration of large structures. Reflect the details of the Cathedral and the grandeur and design of both venues.

Visit the Cathedral and the Herbert and pick

up a BIG DRAW certificate for taking part!

 

For more information please contact Anna Hill anna.hill@coventrycathedral.org.uk

Art and the artists – Coventry Creates

We’re going to let these two exciting contributors own words introduce their entries into the Creative Competition for Coventry Cathedral’s Big Draw.

The first is from Hazel Lowndes who has been teaching art for over 25 years. Working with Adults’ Community Education and the Lifelong Learning Programme at Warwick University http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/study/cll/.

Enjoy her words and her art:

Haze writes:

Fragments 1

"Here in Coventry we have a Cathedral which was created in a moment in time by famous artists who collectively came together. There inspiration and dedication left a lasting legacy for all to see and enjoy  to the glory of God what ever faith.

Fragments 2

This is a golden opportunity for those budding artist in Coventry young or elderly.

Fragments 3

I entered the competition to share with others a desire to express on paper my visual interpretation, art studies created called Fragments 1 2 3 4 inspired by reflections, coloured glass, crosses from the old and new Cathedrals past."

Fragments 4

Wonderful - thank you.

And now a clearly impressive photographer who took and entered these images, taken with the brand new camera she was trying out on her way home from work:

Rebecca writes:

"By all means you can use my photo's for your blog and for the press! I love taking pic's for others to enjoy but I'm very much the amateur who's not really sure how I get the pictures  do!!

The photographs of the cathedral was just a quick test of my new camera as I was on my way home from work! I had never had a camera where I could change lenses and alter so many settings before so I was quite pleased with the way they turned out.

I love taking pictures of animals and nature but also like trying to get that different shot that no one else has got. "

 

Thanks Rebecca, thank you both.

Inspiring -  and I hope it inspires you to enter too:

You too can submit your creative impressions of Coventry Cathedral in the year of its Golden Jubilee by clicking through to Flickr here:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/coventrycathedralcompetition/

For more information please contact Anna Hill anna.hill@coventrycathedral.org.uk

 

 

Creative Coventry - pens paint pictures too

As well as the growing number of photographic contributions to Coventry Cathedral’s Creative Competition (a fine alliteration) … words have finally been contributed to show that pens paint pictures too.

Whilst they say a picture paints a thousand words – 26 letters and a creative mind can be as illuminating as even the finest Olympus DSL.

First though, enjoy this from Steve, a Coventrian who clearly has a masterful eye for his lens. There's lots of very fine images on his own Flickr site http://www.flickr.com/photos/esartee/, but of the three he has entered we think this shows how the combination of patience and a little luck are the perfect mix for a wonderful image:

Steve committed to writing some of his thoughts for us to share:

 "I have lived in Coventry all my life (56 years) but I am still finding new things to look at through the camera, each time I wander around my city. During the last two years I have become more interested in the creative side of photography.

Sometimes I have had an idea from a previous visit, and return a few times before capturing the type of shot I had thought of, and other times it is a photo of something familiar that I work on later. In both cases I like the idea that I have captured and shown a part of Coventry that is uniquely mine, and it is always appreciated when others like it."

...thank you Steve - we love it.

Now for the words! The Competition asks for images, illustrations and words - verse or prose - to express what Coventry Cathedral means to you, particularly in this its Golden Jubilee Year.

Here's what Ben thinks with his entry into the under 11's age group:

...that's wonderful Ben - thank you. That's Ben Davies aged 9 years, from Manor Park School.

Now this contribution is most certainly in the over 18 category (the over 50 category even!). It's OK I can say that because it's from me. See if you follow my thoughts when using a Tweet and a Haiku to deliver my thoughts...

...hmmmm. (Rodney Bashford 54 and a half years, very late of King Henry VIII.)

Well, if there was ever an invitation to contribute with something of 'quality', more akin to Ben and Steve's work, then that is surely it.

You too can submit your creative impressions of Coventry Cathedral in the year of its Golden Jubilee by clicking through to Flickr here:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/coventrycathedralcompetition/

For more information please contact Anna Hill anna.hill@coventrycathedral.org.uk

… a wonderful place for creative photography

This is the work of Mark Bailey submitted for the Coventry Cathedral Creative Competition - enjoy.

Mark shares not only his images, but his insight and technique also:

"Coventry Cathedral is a wonderful place for creative photography.  

During my visit I regularly found myself swapping between a 14-24mm wide angle lens and a 16mm fisheye. Both of these lenses provide the 'get it all in' effect I was trying to obtain from this large interesting space. Due to the low light I opted to take high dynamic range (HDR) images to ensure I was making the most of available light.

HDR allows a wider contrast range within an image, which offers enhanced detail in both bright and dark areas of a picture. It necessitates taking multiple pictures of the same subject with each image taken at different exposures. These separate images are then blended together to create one single image.

I hope my images help to portray the colour, grand space and wonderful light of the Cathedral.”

Mark Bailey

Mark Bailey is an environmental consultant with a passion for creative photography. He believes that images should be a reflection of the character of both photographer and subject.

Many thanks to Mark for submitting his wonderful images into the Creative Competition to celebrate 50 years of art and architecture at Coventry Cathedral. And thanks also for sharing the insight and technique.

You too can submit your creative impressions of Coventry Cathedral in the year of its Golden Jubilee by clicking through to Flickr here:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/coventrycathedralcompetition/

For more information please contact Anna Hill anna.hill@coventrycathedral.org.uk

Learning with Art ~ getting involved in Coventry Cathedral Art

In conjunction with the Cathedral’s Jubilee Art Exhibition this coming Autumn, the Schools’ Team will be giving a week’s special attention to the following works of art:

10^th – 14^th September      Celebrate with us the sculpture of Sir Jacob Epstein (KS1, 2, 3, 4 & Sixth Form)

(Left) The eyes of the devil - from the wonderful St Michael and the Devil on the exterior wall of the Cathedral facing Coventry Cathedral.

17^th – 21^st September      Precious: Discover the story behind the Cathedral Pennies and be part of creating a Cathedral Sculpture of Pennies (EYFS/KS 1)

One of the pennies set into the marble floor to guide the choir to their places - this is just one small part of a wonderful story.

24^th – 28^th September      Take a closer look at the Sutherland Tapestry (KS1, 2, 3, 4 & Sixth Form)

Did you know that the image of 'man' standing between the feet of Christ in Sutherland's masterly Christ the King is 4 foot 8 inches tall. It puts the overall size of the tapestry into amazing perspective. 

1^st – 5^th October             Take a step back in time to learn about how The West Window was created (KS1, 2, 3, 4 & Sixth Form)

One of the Saints accompanied by angels in the Great West Window created by John Hullon - each was etched directly onto the glass in an expressionist style.

8^th – 12^th October            Phoenix Messy Art Week: Explore the Cathedral’s stained glass windows (KS 1 & 2)

The stained glass in Coventry Cathedral is a unique collection of inspirational art interwoven with stories of hope and vision.

15^th – 19^th October          Step back and get up close to The Baptistery Window (KS1, 2, 3, 4 & Sixth Form)

The Baptistery Window is the work of John Piper who's 195 dazzling panels are a dominating feature of the Cathedral - individually a contemporary work of art, collectively a masterpiece.

22^nd – 26^th October         Marvel at the detail of The Gethsemane Chapel (KS1, 2, 3, 4 & Sixth Form)

This striking image of The Gathsemane Chapel photographed during the Jubilee Flower Festival is an entry in the Cathedral's Creative Competition on Flickr submitted by Clive Hicks. See more of his work and other entries (and enter your own or your class' work) on :

http://www.flickr.com/groups/coventrycathedralcompetition/

Saturday 27^th October     Don’t miss Coventry Cathedral and The Herbert Art Gallery’s BIG DRAW (Fun for all the family).

One happy young man enjoying his small part in the BIG DRAW last year.

 

Please do get in touch if you would like to book a class or year group in for one or more of the weeks in September and October 2012.

If you have a particular focus for the autumn term but are uncertain as to how the art work at the Cathedral could fit in with what you are planning, or if you offer an Applied A-Level in Art and Design and would appreciate discussing the possibility of live briefs with/for your learners, please do not hesitate to contact us to discuss how we can fit a Cathedral programme into your scheme.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Anna Hill

Schools' Team (Monday & Tuesday)

Coventry Cathedral

Anna.Hill@coventrycathedral.org.uk

024 7652 1221



Precious moments for creative kids

Children from Hillmorton Primary School and St Oswald’s (CE) Primary School, both from Rugby, had a wonderful time as they took part in our Cathedral Golden Jubilee celebrations by attending one of our Jubilee workshops entitled ‘Precious’. The workshop was aimed at Early Year Foundation Stage and the children explored the story of the Cathedral Pennies.

One of the Nave windows was paid for by the children of Coventry fifty years ago. Children in schools around city collected their pennies and gave them to the Cathedral, funding one of the south Nave windows. These are orientated eastwards, so as to throw light on the high altar from the early morning sun:

(Left) The Nave Creation Window funded by the pennies donated by the children of Coventry circa 1958.

As children walked around the Cathedral (eyes wide in wonder at this vast and colourful place) with one of our Schools’ Team guides, they not only heard this story but also looked at the pennies in the Cathedral floor:

These pennies are set in the marble floor to guide those processing up the Cathedral isle – such as the choir boys and girls.

Children pretended to be choir boys and girls byfollowing the pennies themselves, letting them guide their way to the choir stalls and high altar.

To complement the walk around the Cathedral building, the children created their own Jubilee penny – putting an image of themselves on the back of the coin (below) to symbolise how they are precious, just as the Queen in the year of her Diamond Jubilee is precious.

The window paid for by the children of Coventry, speaks of the emergence of life in all its fullness and of the joy of birth and childhood. In response to this window, children were encouraged to create their own stained glass window - this beautiful butterfly below is an example of the work of our 3 to 5 year olds:

The EYFS Precious workshop was enjoyed by children, staff and Cathedral schools’ team volunteers and we look forward to repeating the workshop in the week beginning 17^th September…

Please be part of it and book now!

For more information contact:

Anna Hill

Schools’ Team (Monday & Tuesday)

Coventry Cathedral

Anna.Hill@coventrycathedral.org.uk.

024 7652 1221