Cathedral visitors to create 15,000 paper doves

The installation will go on display at Durham Cathedral in the summer

A cathedral is asking visitors to help make 15,000 paper doves for an upcoming installation.

Peace Doves, a mass participation artwork by Peter Walker, is going on display at Durham Cathedral on 25 July.

Visitors will be able to create a paper dove from 1 April until 20 July, and write their own message on it.

The Very Rev Dr Philip Plyming, Dean of Durham, said the project was a chance for people of all faiths and backgrounds "to offer their own different voices, wishes and prayers in the cause of peace".

'Truly special'

People will be given a piece of paper with a dove laser cut into it, which they need to take out, write a message on and fold.

The whole process takes a couple of minutes.

The final installation will be suspended above the cathedral’s Nave and set to music by composer David Harper.

The paper doves will be on display between July and September

Andrew Usher, the cathedral's chief officer for visitor experience, said it was "a unique opportunity" to be involved in creating something "truly special".

"Ideally we want all 15,000 doves to be made, so it would take 15,000 people to write messages on the doves," Mr Usher said.

He hopes people who have helped create the doves will come back to see the artwork.

The installation will be open to the public from 25 July until 9 September.

Mr Usher said the cathedral team were "really confident" they would get 15,000 doves made in four months.

"If we got more than that, we'd have to look at what we would do...could we make the installation bigger or would we have to have a cut-off point?"