Salisbury Cathedral exhibition explores climate change impact

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A piece of abstract art made from electronic componentsImage source, Elias Sime
Image caption,

Ethiopian artist Elias Sime's work involved reusing salvaged electronic components

An exhibition at Salisbury Cathedral will focus on the impact of climate change on homes and daily lives.

Art will be displayed inside and outside the cathedral looking at the air we breathe, changing landscapes and mental wellbeing.

Salisbury cathedral said it would highlight how it was caring for the environment.

It was the first cathedral given an Eco-Church Gold Award by A Rocha UK, a Christian nature conservation charity.

Image source, Derek Jarman
Image caption,

The work of Derek Jarman - an artist, filmmaker, writer and gay rights activist - is among those on display

Deth 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."

On the North Lawn, visitors will discover Seaview, which depicts a house precariously perched and partially sliding down a sleep slope symbolising how coastal erosion affects homes.

Image source, Derek Jarman
Image caption,

Summer references artist Derek Jarman's love for the season

The exhibition also features Hilary Jack's Turquoise Bag, which was sculpted from bronze and highlights the presence of single-use plastic.

Outside the main visitor entrance, visitors will see work by artist Dryden Goodwin, from his work Breathe.

Created alongside London air quality scientists, this work examines conversations about air pollution.

Birdsong from four different continents will be played from speakers to fill the cloisters in Rebecca Chesney's piece Here the Unheard.

Image source, Dryden Goodwin
Image caption,

Drawings by the artist Dryden Goodwin, from his work Breathe

Along one side of the nave inside the cathedral the companion piece Red, Amber, Green looks at endangered species of birds.

The exhibition also features work from Derek Jarman, who passed away in 1994. Landscape III and Summer reference his love of gardening and awareness of climate change.

The Eye of the Storm by artist John Maine was made from fragments of disused tiles from Salisbury Cathedral, which the artist has positioned to give the impression of looking down into the centre of a hurricane.

Our Earth opens on Saturday 20 April and runs until Sunday 6 October.

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