Major art exhibition opens at Salisbury Cathedral

Curated by Beth Hughes, the Cathedral’s Curator for Visual Arts, Our Earth, running from April 20 - October 6 2024, will feature works inside and outside the Cathedral that focus on the air we breathe, the changing landscapes around us and how the environment can impact our mental wellbeing.

Outside the Cathedral, on the North Lawn, visitors will discover Seaview (2024), a large, dramatic new work by Hilary Jack.

It depicts a house precariously perched and partially sliding down a steep slope, reminding us of how coastal erosion and adverse weather impact the homes we live in. On one side of the sculpture there is an opening for visitors to explore the structure that is supporting the landscape above.

Another of Hilary Jack’s works can be discovered floating between the trees in the Cloisters. Turquoise Bag (2013) is sculpted from bronze and highlights the presence of single use plastic littering our environment.

Outside the main visitor entrance, three large banners are hung on the Cloister walls.

They are taken from drawings by the artist Dryden Goodwin, from his work Breathe (2012-2024). Created alongside London air quality scientists, this work underlines the urgency for conversations around air pollution.

One of the drawings is of Rosamund Adoo-Kiss-Debrah, the mother of 9-year old Ella, who was the first person in the world to have air pollution recorded as her cause of death.  Rosamund is now a clean air activist and founded the Ella Roberta Family Foundation in memory of her daughter.

Beth Hughes, Salisbury Cathedral’s Arts Curator, said: “The climate crisis is one of the biggest challenges facing us today, cutting through other key issues such as economics, health and equality. Artists have long been engaged with the environment and through creativity they draw our eye to the overlooked stories, raising our collective appreciation and awareness.

"As I curated this exhibition I began to find a wealth of connections between the themes in the artworks, the Cathedral and the surrounding area. From the lush green spaces surrounding the Cathedral to the peregrine falcons nesting in the tower, there is a great deal of ongoing care for our natural world happening already.

"We still have work to do but there is much we can celebrate in Salisbury and the Cathedral really is the perfect place to discuss these issues in a spirit of hope for the future.”

Our Earth opens at Salisbury Cathedral on Saturday, April 20 and runs until Sunday, October 6. Admission is included in general Cathedral entry.

For more details, including guided art tours of the exhibition, go to salisburycathedral.org.uk