Image: Tree of Life – Illusion at Ely Cathedral 2018. Bronze. 330 x 288 cm. Courtesy of the artist and Hignell Gallery
Helaine Blumenfeld at Salisbury Cathedral and Ely Cathedral
“Within the narrative of Christian scripture Angels appear when the human mind struggles to comprehend. Through her sculptures Helaine Blumenfeld seeks to communicate from a place when words fail, through the visual, imaginative and tactile and at an emotional level. The Cathedral seeks to do the same so this is a unique opportunity for the Cathedral and these sculptures to work together.”
Sarah Mullally, (former Canon Treasurer at Salisbury Cathedral) Bishop of London
Messenger of the Spirit at Salisbury Cathedral in 2013
This exhibition brought together 20 beautiful sculptures spanning four decades and was informed by The Old Testament belief that the angel is the closest representative of God that we can experience as humans. Inspired by the spiritual context of Salisbury Cathedral Helaine created four site specific works for the exhibition, which were exhibited within the Cathedral Close and within the Cathedral.
The light, space and architecture of the Cathedral worked in partnership with the fluid, flowing, tactile forms of Helaine’s angels. Collectively the works were uplifting and imbued the space with a message of creation, healing and hope.
Messenger of the Spirit – Angels Harmony, 2011. Marble. 17.3 x 99 x 25 cm. Courtesy of the artist and Salisbury Cathedral
Messenger of the Spirit – Flight, 2013 . Bronze. 330 cm. Courtesy of the artist and Bowman Sculpture
Messenger of the Spirit – Cleopatra, 2012. Statuary marble. 320 cm. Courtesy of the artist and Bowman Sculpture
Messenger of the Spirit – Taking Risks, 2013. Statuary marble. 74cm. Courtesy of the artist and Bowman Sculpture
Messenger of the Spirit – Flight, 2013. Bronze. 330 cm. Courtesy of the artist and Bowman Sculpture
“I am honoured and excited to have the opportunity to work with Jacquiline Creswell on this important exhibition of my work at Salisbury Cathedral. The sculptures that I am showing resonate with the beauty and meaningfulness of this setting. I hope to inspire and surprise the viewer, leading them into spaces in the cathedral that they may see in a new way. For me sculpture has been a journey to try and reach beyond the physical, emotional and cultural boundaries that limit our perception as well as our growth as spiritual beings. Through sculpture I have tried to create a visual language that does not depend on words but on images for its impact”
Helaine Blumenfeld
Tree of Life – Meridiana, 2016. Marble. 230 x 100 x 87.5 cm. All sculptures Courtesy of the artist and Hignell Gallery
Tree of Life at Ely Cathedral, 2018
The title of the exhibition takes its name from one of the most important and enduring themes in Blumenfeld’s work; she seeks to kindle the light she sees within people, to rise above the challenges and upheavals faced and to look to the future with renewed confidence. A tree may grow, bloom, grow old, wither and die, but contained in its life cycle are the seeds of renewal, regeneration and life after death. The exhibition projected all the powerful symbolism of this this imagery, to inspire and describe a compelling narrative of spirituality, energy and hope.
Entering the cathedral through the great medieval oak doors, Ely welcomes visitors first with Meridiana, an elegant golden bronze blaze form, sited in the Nave. Processing along the colonnade of formal rounded arches an avenue of beautiful pure white marble forms are revealed, the Tree of Life series. These are set back, recessed between the Roman columns. The white marble sculptures transcend merely the representation of form in stone, they exude the essence of nature, blooming and bursting open.
The Exhibition was opened by the Right Reverend Sarah Mullally Bishop of London
Tree of Life – Meridiana, 2016. Bronze. 250 x 110 cm.
“This is a sumptuously curated exhibition in which a multiplicity of visual and symbolic resonances have been set up through the sympathetic placement of the sculptures within and without the astonishing vistas of this medieval masterpiece. The curator, Jacquiline Creswell, demonstrates a flawless understanding of the cathedral and the artworks in the choices she has made when selecting locations as part of this, the first sculpture exhibition at Ely”
— Jonathan Evens, Church Times
Tree of Life – Encounter, 2018. Bronze. 100 x 80 x 65 cm
Exodus, 2018. Marble. 45 x 40 x 34 cm
Tree of Life – Rondo, 2015. Marble 72 cm
Tree of Life - Exodus II, 2016. Bronze. 45 x 50 x 50 cm
Tree of Life – Meridiana, 2016. Bronze. 250 x 110 cm.
Photography by Ash Mills