Image: Definition in Five Parts, 2012 by John Maine. Granite. All works are Courtesy of the artist.
John Maine RA Sanctuary
LARGE SCALE STONE INSTALLATIONS
At Salisbury Cathedral, Sarum College and Edwin Young Gallery. The exhibition encourages us to engage with the many meanings and implications of sanctuary, not least as a place of safety and refuge, but within the larger sanctuary of the Cathedral and its Close, also offering places for reflection and contemplation.
John’s exhibition at Salisbury Cathedral comprised of a number of stone installations in the Cathedral Close, a procession of granite carvings in the Cloisters with a stack of twenty-five granite discs forming a column in the Garth. A sequence of incised stone panels, based on the floor patterns of the Sacrarium and Shrine of Westminster Abbey, can be seen in and around the Morning Chapel.
The concept was triggered when I saw John Maine’ stone installation, After Cosmati at the Royal Academy. I was reminded of the sense of calm reverence I encountered while walking amongst the stones at Avebury Ring and Stonehenge- there is a path that draws you in, through and around, inviting the visitor to stay and engage with the setting. I felt there was a resonance and connection with the stone and geometry of the Cathedral.
The exhibition was opened by Charles Saumarez Smith, CBE and Secretary and CEO of The Royal Academy
Definition in Five Parts, 2012. Granite.
Sanctuary I, 2015 by John Maine. Chinese Granite.
Sanctuary II, III & IV installation, 2013 By John Maine. Portland Roach, Scandinavian granite, Scottish granite.
Sarah Mullay then Canon Treasurer and Chairman of the Cathedral’s Exhibitions Committee, said..
“Salisbury Cathedral is testament to the beauty of stone both in its strength and its ability to portray detail. The crafts men and women who built this wonderful building (Salisbury Cathedral) did so to enable us to journey with them to the heavens. John Maine’s sculptures both complement and provide contrast to the stone of the Cathedral and the landscape of the Cathedral Close. The pieces seek to bring us on a journey not just heaven wards, but like any good labyrinth, inwards; quieting the mind and stilling the heart. Maybe it is here that we encounter sanctuary in a busy world”
“The unique setting of Salisbury Cathedral, linked distantly to Old Sarum and the great archaeological sites of the Wiltshire landscape beyond, has always been an area of interest for me. The opportunity to show work here is a significant step in understanding how sculpture can become part of a spiritual place.”
John Maine RA
Image: Detail of Shrine Pavement, 2011 by John Maine. Travertine marble.
Photography by Ash Mills