Art and light show brings natural world inside

Lichfield Cathedral will host the first of four exhibitions from August 19 - 28, bringing together a range of art to examine how the natural world has influenced architecture throughout history, particularly that of the cathedral itself.

The exhibition, entitled Earth: What a Wonderful World?, aims to bring the outside indoors with an art and light installation incorporating the natural beauty of light and sound to transform the internal spaces of the cathedral.

The installation, created by Luxmuralis – the team behind the award-winning ‘A Cathedral Illuminated’ which brought the building to life over the Christmas period – will run on selected dates throughout the exhibition.

Local schoolchildren have also been involved by producing their own art installation involving hundreds of painted tiles which will highlight the close relationship between nature and architecture.

Led by the cathedral’s artist-in-residence Peter Walker, the project - the first of four annual Great Exhibitions - aims to build on the success of the 10,000 Angels installation, which saw budding young artists creating thousands of festive paper angels which hung from the cathedral’s ceiling in December.

Mr Walker said: “The exhibition will truly bring the great outdoors inside the cathedral and make visitors contemplate the aesthetic beauty of nature and how it has informed the world that we live in.”

Adrian Dorber, Dean of Lichfield Cathedral, said: “The Great Exhibition is an important event that raises awareness of both art and nature in the public consciousness, as well as the profile of the cathedral.

“We are incredibly excited to be hosting the exhibition and invite people to join us on this breathtaking journey across earth, sea and sky.”

Screenings of the animated Disney films WALL-E and The Jungle Book will be shown on August 21 and 22 respectively, offering viewers the chance to see two family favourites from a new perspective inside the cathedral.

The art and light show and the film screenings are ticket-only events, and tickets for both can be bought online at www.lichfield-cathedral.org. Advance admission to the installation is £3 per person (£2 for under 16s), while tickets bought on the door are £5 per person (£3 for those under 16). Tickets bought in advance of the film screenings cost £5 per person and are £7.50 on the evening.