- Venue
- Christ Church
- Starts
- Thursday, June 17, 2021
- Ends
- Sunday, June 27, 2021
- Address
- Bridge Street Macclesfield Cheshire SK11 6EG
- Location
- North West England
- Organiser
- Barnaby Festival
Presence is a new large-scale, site-specific installation by Liz West that will be situated in grade II* listed Christ Church in Macclesfield as part of this years Barnaby Festival.
Christ Church is a Georgian Anglican church dating from 1775. Presence will transform the space taking the form of a tunnel, created from iridescent dichroic panels creating a kaleidoscopic artery down the centre of the church.
The tunnel, which will be made up of 450 squares covered in the colour transmitting dichroic film, will be open at one end to allow visitors to walk in it and become immersed in the work. One side of the tunnel will feature cool colours ranging from purples through to greens and blues and on the other they will be warm corals, pinks and yellows.
Liz West says: “ I want my work to be arresting and for viewers to be present in the moment and immersed in the work, responding to colour and light again and removed from the everyday. For Presence, I started by looking at the aisle of the church. It is a physical parade consisting of a tunnel that is three metres tall and 14 metres long. “When you stand at the end of the tunnel you can look up at the stained glass windows through the wall of colour making a meditative and spiritual experience.”
The reflective and refractive nature of the material will project coloured light across the entire space, helping to reveal parts of the architecture that would otherwise be missed. Christ Church is an impressive space and West wanted to ensure the work held its own Presence responds to the space with grandeur.
Dr Abi Gilmore, Co Chair Of Barnaby Festival, said: “We are so thrilled to be able to present Liz West’s work in the beautiful Christ Church in the heart of Macclesfield. “We couldn’t ask more from a Barnaby arts commission than to provide people with a transcending immersive experience from such a brilliant and internationally renowned artist, just at the moment in midsummer when we are able to come back together, reflect and celebrate the arts and heritage of our town.
Visitors will be able to see Presence at Christ Church, Bridge Street in Macclesfield from June 17 to June 27.
Presence is part of a collection of midsummer events for Barnaby Bright brought to you by the team at Barnaby Festival. All events will be delivered with measures in place to comply with Covid 19 restrictions. Social distancing will be monitored carefully. Tickets can be bought on Barnaby Festival’s website https://barnabyfestival.org.uk
