I’ve had time now to get a sense of the fascinating and various ornament in the church. Behind the altar are gilded inscriptions nestling amidst flourishes in gold on black wood from the 17th century. The ten commandments are there, and the Lord’s Prayer, the powerful words given even more status by their presentation. Elsewhere there is a baroque late seventeenth century memorial whose exuberant form belies the sad fact that it speaks of too many youthful deaths in one family. Its vitality reminds me of baroque music, the flourishes carved in sound. Then there is a late nineteenth century memorial to Prince Leopold and Princess Charlotte, related to Queen Victoria who came to the church as a young woman. This is more static, more literal. There are many other items in the church which speak of successive ways of seeing and celebrating life and death.
Outside, beyond the churchyard, is the civic car park. Completely different! This is full of contemporary motifs, not intended as ornament at all. There are graphic instructions on how to park and pay for parking by mobile phone, a reminder of a cctv camera, litter disposal, etc. But this is the everyday context for the church now.
The question is how to layer these worlds together in the work I hope to produce. It’s occupying my mind.
