Artists-in-Residence at St Davids Cathedral 

During August Gillian and I were invited to be Resident Artists at St Davids Cathedral in Pembrokeshire.  Over the years we have visited the cathedral and the surrounding coastline many times, drawn to its deep spirituality, rich history and incredible beauty. Janet Ingram, the cathedral’s Education and Pilgrimage Officer, collaborated very closely with Lever Arts to organise the short residency, weaving us into the summer programme of activities whilst also giving us time to experience the cathedral and surrounding area on our own.  We stayed in a house normally reserved for Music Scholars, a former stables on the route that would have been taken by pilgrims approaching the cathedral, close to the ancient Penitents’ Bridge.  This meant that we could immerse ourselves in the daily life of the cathedral including the worship; Choral Evensong, Parish Communion and Celtic Evening Prayer led by Revd Canon Sheridan James. 

Daily walks took us to St Non’s Chapel and well, a place we found deeply inspirational and healing. The ruins of an ancient building overlooking the sea are said to be the 6th-century birthplace of the patron saint of Wales, St David, the inspiration behind a pandemic postal art project that I developed a few years ago called ‘Do the Little Things’.  Legend has it that St Non gave birth to St David during a violent storm. Non clutched a rock in pain, leaving her fingerprints on it before a lightning strike split the stone and a holy well sprang forth to provide her with water.  Blessing ourselves with this water, resting in the ruins of her home and spending time in the nearby chapel overlooking the rocky bay, was life-giving and restorative for us both.

As part of the residency I was invited to create a temporary installation in the Holy Trinity Chapel, a piece which I called ‘Safe Haven’. In the medieval period St Davids was at the crossing of major sea routes, at the centre of the Celtic world. Over centuries thousands of pilgrims used this space to give thanks for safe passage and venerate St David - ‘Dewi Sant’ - who  founded a monastic order here. Drawings of boats etched by pilgrims into the chapel walls are still visible. The individual sculptures - 64 in total - were made with wire, tissue paper and gold leaf, evoking simple boat forms. These were arranged on the altar in arcs, all journeying towards a central point beneath the sculptural relief of Christ on the Cross, suggesting a returning home to God. They also echoed the lines of the surrounding fan vaulted chapel ceiling as well as the scallop shell motif, symbolising pilgrimage. 

The work with visitors during the second half of the residency took the form of three events in the cathedral - a talk about art and pilgrimage that I gave, and two events which we jointly led; a day-long drop-in pilgrim badge making workshop for families and a Quiet Afternoon for adults. Participants came from across the UK and abroad; pilgrims, visitors and holidaymakers drawn from near and far. 

The talk focussed upon a number of projects that we have run over the last 20 years including the ‘Pilgrimage to Hailes’ events during our time living in Cheltenham, the Soul Boats project with Birmingham Cathedral in 2015-16 and more recent projects such and ‘Do the Little Things’ and  the Pilgrim Cello Project that Gillian collaborated on with Kenneth Wilson earlier this year.  

Medieval travellers wore badges to identify themselves as pilgrims and collected souvenirs from the holy sites they visited.  Surrounded by enthusiastic pilgrims of all ages, Gillian I invited people to use recycled card and metal foil to make their own pilgrim badge, inspired by this tradition and the rich imagery all around us. 

Our final event was more reflective, taking place in the quietness of the east end of the cathedral.  Participant were invited to prayerfully make a ‘Soul Boat’ as a way of reflecting upon the “vessel” of their own lives in relation to the winds and currents of life.  

So, it has been an incredibly creative, stimulating and restorative summer!  Gillian and I were so warmly welcomed by everyone we met at St Davids, but we would especially like to thank Janet Ingram whose vision, skill and hard work made this residency possible.