Over the years, Liverpool Cathedral has played host to many popular art installations and exhibitions, including the most recent,
You can find out more about some of our previous installations below:
The Museum of the Moon at Liverpool Cathedral May 2018
60,254 Visitors from across the region and beyond have been marvelling at Luke Jerram’s fabulous Museum of the Moon. Young and old admired the moonscape and social media was alive with moon pictures taken from every angle.
The installation of artist Luke Jerram’s artistic masterpiece started as the sun went down over the Cathedral. The giant, 23ft replica of the moon created by the renowned British artist used detailed NASA imagery of the lunar surface and includes a sound composition created by BAFTA and Ivor Novello award-winning composer Dan Jones.
It was Commissioned by Culture Liverpool and part-funded by Arts Council England.
credit: Luke Jerram , image by Dave Jones
‘Gaia’ at Liverpool Cathedral 2019
Over 170,000 visitors from across the region and beyond came to Liverpool Cathedral to marvel at Luke Jerram’s fabulous 3D replica of the earth. Over 14,000 people not only experienced the earth floating above their heads but the installation’s 120dpi detailed NASA imagery of the earth’s surface from another perspective after climbing the Cathedral’s Dulverton Bridge.
Part of Liverpool’s River Festival 2019, Gaia was one of the key pieces in the Changing Tides creative programme and it was an opportunity to see our planet (to scale)
Prayer stations were placed around the Cathedral to help visitors reflect on the earth’s significance in creation. Around 48,000 candles were lit while Gaia was in place compared to 10,000 usually used in the same time period.
Credit: Luke Jerram
Knife Angel Installation at Liverpool Cathedral November 2018
The sculpture stood 27ft high and was installed outside Liverpool Cathedral. Created by Alfie Bradley, it is a memorial to for whose lives have been affected by knife crime.
Alfie designed and created the artwork single-handedly at the British Ironworks Centre. 100,000 knives were surrendered and collected during nationwide amnesties in 2015/2016. The Centre provided knife banks for the amnesties with 43 police forces across the country involved.
Picture by Gareth Jones
Peace Doves installation at Liverpool Cathedral
The mass participation art installation, created by renowned sculptor and artist Peter Walker, featured over 18,000 paper doves suspended in the cathedral. Visitors to the cathedral, along with local school children and community groups were invited to write messages of peace, hope and love onto thousands of paper doves
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Space, The Universe and Everything 2022
In just one night, we travelled through space, light and time – from the first step on the Moon to the edge of the Universe then back again, without leaving the inside of Liverpool Cathedral thanks to Luxmuralis !
Who are Luxmuralis?
Sculptor Peter Walker and composer David Harper make up the award-winning artistic collaboration, Luxmuralis. Luxmuralis is known for producing large-scale light and sound shows. They have produced this light and show, known as a Son-et-Lumiere, for Liverpool Cathedral.
This exhibition, from renowned artist and sculptor Peter Walker, reflected on what makes us who we are, by exploring connection, creativity, identity, and reflection.
While visiting the Being Human Exhibition at Liverpool Cathedral, there was an opportunity to view multiple artworks located at different points around the cathedral and explore what it means to be human.
The heart of the exhibition was a sculpture entitled Connection, inspired by Michelangelo’s ‘Creation of Adam’. A contemporary twist on the Renaissance masterpiece, which depicts God’s hand reaching out to meet Adam’s finger, the striking installation features two giant hands, each standing at two metres tall and equivalent in height to an average front door.
Being Human: Connection
Connection was situated under the Dulverton bridge. This large-scale sculpture of two hands symbolises our connection to each other. The hands, each measuring two metres high, are the gateway to the series of artworks that make up the Being Human exhibition.
They are inspired by a part of Michelangelo’s ‘Creation of Adam’ where God’s hand reaches out to meet Adam’s finger, Peter based his concept on this classic story but has given it a contemporary twist by using female hands.
Peter hoped this sculpture inspired you to reach out to people in your own community.
Being Human: Creativity
Creativity located in the Derby Transept. Here, Peter has recreated an artist’s studio space, which has been populated with some tools of the trade, as well as some of his previous works.
As you encounter sculptures, paintings, and drawings, you may wish to think about how you express your own creativity, and what this means to you. As Peter display’s his artist’s existential view of humanity, you may wish to think about your own.
Being Human: Identity
As humans, we all have our own unique and complex identity, and in this section of the installation, located in the Derby Transept, you become the star of the show.
In the Identity element of Being Human, Peter has taken inspiration from the traditional photo booth. Photos were then used to create the ‘Identity’ installation at Liverpool Cathedral in 2023.
Being Human: Reflection
Memories and moments of reflection are core parts of being human. In recent years, many of us who have experienced great loss and disconnect from our fellow humans have found new hope and connection with nature.
The reflection section of the installation was made up over 5,000 metal leaves, each engraved with the word ‘hope’. The leaves within the artwork transition in colour from silver to autumn brown.
The leaves provided a remembrance area for Liverpool to reflect upon covid pandemic and while providing space for you to contemplate your feelings and memories of loved ones.
About the artist: Peter Walker
Peter Walker is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a member of the Royal Society of British Sculptors.
An internationally renowned sculptor and artist, he produces sculptures, paintings, drawings, installation pieces, and Son-et-Lumiere for large-scale public art events.
Peter has created many public artworks. His work is in public and private collections internationally, including at the British Embassy in Dubai and Paris, The Collections of Limburg (Germany), St Chads Cathedral (Canada), Chester Cathedral, Sheffield Cathedral, and University Church in Oxford amongst others. He was the artist behind our Peace Doves artwork which was finally installed in 2021, following the pandemic.
The Light Before Christmas Series
This was the perfect fun and family-friendly event to begin your Christmas celebrations.
The Light Before Christmas: The Angels was at Liverpool Cathedral between 2 – 9 December 2022 and was followed by a second show in this series called The Light Before Christmas: The Manger which was with us from 1-8 December 2023.
This captivating indoor light show, inspired by the first Christmas, lit up the interior of the Cathedral, as light guided you through an incredible display of twinkling, mesmerising projections and beautiful music.
‘The Light Before Christmas: The Angels are coming’ and ‘The Manger’ was brought to Liverpool Cathedral by Luxmuralis, the artistic collaboration behind February’s sell-out installation, ‘Space, The Universe and Everything’
Things to note about The Light Before Christmas Light Show
What is a Son-et-Lumiere?
From the French which literally translated means sound and light, a Son-et-Lumiere is a show of multicoloured lights of changing intensity directed usually against the outside of a historic building or ruin. The changes of light are synchronised with a soundtrack (relayed through loudspeakers) carrying music and the dramatised story of the site. Usually, no live participants appear.
Who are Luxmuralis?
Sculptor Peter Walker and composer David Harper make up the artistic collaboration Luxmuralis. The team produces large-scale light and sound shows, many of which are known as a Son-et-Lumiere. Previously Luxmuralis has produced Angel Wings and Space, The Universe and Everything for Liverpool Cathedral.
Between 9 February – 12 March 2023, Liverpool Cathedral was home to a brand new free installation from internationally acclaimed designer Paul Cocksedge.
Coalescence, a new installation from internationally acclaimed British designer, Paul Cocksedge, was housed in Liverpool Cathedral between 9 February – 13 March 2023.
The artwork, named Coalescence, was supported by Carpenters Workshop Gallery London. Measuring six metres in diameter and featuring thousands of pieces of UK-sourced Anthracite coal. The sculpture, which was suspended from the ceiling of the Cathedral well takes inspiration from designer Paul Cocksedge’s calculations of the amount of coal needed to power a single 200W lightbulb for a year. When illuminated, this over-half-a-tonne coal installation will sparkle in the light.
Paul believes that this will engage with the public in a way that is thought-provoking, prompting bigger questions around energy consumption, the history of fossil fuels, and the need to reach net zero.
About the Artist:
Paul Cocksedge is an internationally acclaimed British designer, who has spent the last decade building a reputation for innovative design, underpinned by research into the limits of technology and materials. His catalogue of work spans design products, architectural projects, installations and sculptures, all infused with the sense of simplicity, joy and wonder that has come to characterise his work.
Recent projects include the Please Be Seated installation for London Design Festival; a major public art installation in Hong Kong, entitled Time Loop; the Performance exhibition at Friedman Benda New York; and the Slump exhibition at Carpenters Workshop Gallery London. A new permanent version of Bourrasque is also now on display at Dior 30 Montaigne in Paris, a retail space designed by Peter Marino.
Liverpool Cathedral is honoured to have been part of EuroFestival
Izyum to Liverpool
From 1 to May 19 2023, we hosted Izyum to Liverpool by Ukrainian artist Katya Buchatska.
A poignant train journey by a multi-channel video installation from Ukrainian artist Katya Buchatska. Filmed in real-time, this is an extraordinary window into the journey of escape many Ukrainians have taken since the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022. Starting with views of liberated Ukrainian regions moving to apparently stiller Western cities.
Izyum to Liverpool was about the fragility of our environment, our lives and the landscape surrounding us. It was about the war in Ukraine. It is about something that can happen anywhere. Normal life can be changed in just one moment.
This work was about the loss of certainties. A one-way journey provoking a shift in the state of mind. Even if you are in a safe environment farther away from the front line, this feeling of loss and uncertainty stays with you.
Artist Biography:
KATYA BUCHATSKA (1987, Kyiv, Ukraine) is an artist who lives and works in Kyiv. Buchatska works in various media, such as painting, installations, sculpture, photography, and video. Engaging with the concept of time and researching the co-existence of human and non-human forms of life, Buchatska deconstructs forms and subject matters, giving objects new meaning. Her often playful presentations question the viewer’s perception of reality.
She studied Graphic Techniques and Illustration at the Institute of NTUU KPI, Kyiv, Ukraine (2003-2007); Fine Art at the École Nationale Supérieure d’Art de Dijon, Dijon, France (2008), and Monumental Painting with Professor Mykola Storozhenko at the National Academy of Fine Art and Architecture, Kyiv, Ukraine (2008-2015). She collaborates with the preservation group for the legacy of the Hutsul naïve artist Paraska Plytka-Horytsvit.
Visitliverpool.com / eurofestival
From 28th July – 3rd September 2023 we further explored our identity, both individually and collectively.
This thought-provoking art installation by artist Peter Walker, explored the concept of identity and how we are all connected.
The third installation of Peter’s Liverpool Cathedral series. Following the success of both ‘Peace Doves’ and ‘Being Human’, this final chapter in the story focused on our individual identities, presented as a collective community.
What is ‘IDENTITY’?
‘IDENTITY: We Are All Together’ is Liverpool Cathedral’s largest installation to date!
Sculpted inside the building, ‘IDENTITY’ introduced seven illuminated columns, suspended over the Well. Each column was lit, with individual strips of light representing the double helix of DNA and demonstrating the unique make up of each person. Together, the seven columns represent our distinct differences, gathered in union.
Whilst the reference to DNA demonstrates the uniqueness of us all, the columns were wrapped in over 3000 individual portraits, all photographed as part of Peter Walker’s 2022 installation ‘Being Human’, presented together as a collective. So if you joined us for Being Human summer 2022 and attended the photo booth… you may have seen yourself!
Why?
The number seven was selected for its poignant links, including the seven pillars of wisdom and the seven ages of man, as well as a number with striking biblical significance, denoting fullness and completion.
The inclusion of our local people and previous visitors is reinforces our motto that at Liverpool Cathedral we are ‘Built by the people; for the people; to the Glory of God’.
IDENTITY’S visual impact is supported by its ability to change colour throughout its stay at the cathedral, powerfully representing symbols of various communities and our shared values as well as individuality, including our ethnicity, gender and sexuality.
Peter Walker quote:
’IDENTITY’ reflects on the fact that in a world of constant change and flux, and in a world where people quickly react to the differences between us, if we look at what unites us and unites every individual on earth, we will see that we are all inextricably linked.
Scientific evidence shows that all current human DNA originated from a single population and that all humans through time are linked. From this, humanity has expanded and human societies populate all parts of the world today.From that deep link between us, our individualities evolve and emerge, creating the diverse and endless individuals who live and inhabit the planet today.
Identity is a fluid and constantly changing part of our lives in society – we are linked, but each of us is unique and individual. We are shaped through our faith, ethnicity, tastes and friendship groups, the culture we are born into and the communities we belong to and engage with, alongside our gender identity.
In a world where we are so unique, where the existential self is shaped and ever changing, and where individuality is complex; it is the central unifying identity of humanity which joins us together”
Dean Sue quote:
“It is a pleasure to welcome Peter Walker back to Liverpool Cathedral, displaying this latest installation here in the Cathedral, in a space that has become familiar to him. Identity highlights the importance of both individuality and community. In a world of division and difference, we are pleased to host an installation that highlights the bonds and links that we all, as individuals, have in common. As a cathedral built and shared by the city’s people, we understand the value of our community and look forward to welcoming visitors to view ‘IDENTITY here in the Well.”
Step into a realm of sensory exploration at Liverpool Cathedral’
“Infinite Encounters” which ran from May 10th to June 2nd, 2024 – as a part of our centenary celebrations was a captivating exhibition which engaged all five senses through a collection of five remarkable art pieces, each inspired by Touch, Sight, Hearing, Smell, and Taste. Infinite Encounters was an interactive exhibition that aimed to provide visitors with the participatory and sensorial experience of art.
Rasheed Araeen’s Zero to Infinity, previously staged at Tate Modern as part of UNIQLO Tate Play in summer 2023, invited audiences to immerse themselves in an interactive journey. Consisting of a number of giant cubes, audiences became the architects of their own imagination, reshaping and rebuilding the original structure. Similarly, Liverpool-based artist Frances Disley presents Holodeck Programme 106, welcomed everyone to engage in games of dominoes and construct jigsaws together.
Myriam Thyes’ hypnotic video Mutable Worlds promises to be a visual journey whilst Neringa Naujokaite’s poetic work Horizon focuses on a young girl’s relationships with the city, friends, and music through sound. Every frame told a story and every moment captivates in a way that young girls across the city will relate to.
A new commission by Frances Disley offered a stunning glimpse of the Cathedrals Lady Chapel and its beautiful architecture whilst inviting audiences to relax in a safe, playful, and specially scented environment.
