Altar; photo: Loucia Manopoulou

Loucia Manopoulou writes about an exhibition of contemporary craft in Salisbury Cathedral.

Makers’ Tale (2021) was a collaborative exhibition between Wiltshire Creative and the University for the Creative Arts (UCA), Farnham, in association with Salisbury Cathedral I curated alongside co-curator ceramic artist Mirka Golden-Hall. The exhibition explored the movement of ideas across disciplines, the relationships formed at these intersections, and the ongoing process of skill-sharing. Interwoven with the octocentenary of Salisbury Cathedral, an exemplar of early English Gothic architecture, the project highlighted a long-standing tradition of craftsmanship, where skills have been passed down through the cathedral’s works department since its founding on 18 April 1220.

Artists associated with UCA included textile artist Peta Jacobs, ceramicist Michelle Shields, and glass-metal artist Cara Wassenberg, alongside student contributors such as Charlotte Bull and Wendy Irving (BA (Hons) Textiles). The exhibition featured works that were intellectual responses to a behind-the-scenes visit to Salisbury Cathedral in January 2020. During this visit, students engaged with the site’s rich history of skill sharing and craftsmanship.

At its core, Makers’ Tale aimed to illustrate the persistence and relevance of craft knowledge and how traditional crafts find new expressions within a contemporary context, emphasising that traditionalism and innovation are not oppositional but compatible.

Craft scholar, the late Professor Simon Olding, noted in the foreword of the exhibition catalogue that craft serves as a bridge across time, providing a sensory link between the past and present. He argued that craft transcends solid objects, extending to sound and movement, thus crossing time and space. This perspective was central to the exhibition’s curatorial approach, encouraging visitors to see craft as a dynamic, evolving practice capable of transcending temporal and disciplinary boundaries.

Makers’ Tale was hosted at Salisbury Arts Centre, a deconsecrated medieval church known as St. Edmund’s. This Grade II listed building, repurposed into a community arts centre in 1975, provided a historical setting that resonated with the exhibition’s themes.

Central to the curatorial approach was the concept of mise-en-scène, echoing ideas from textile scholar and curator Emeritus Professor Lesley Millar. Millar’s concept of mise-en-scène sets the stage for the work to perform and create dynamic environments. The exhibition applied mise-en-scène to draw connections between the tactile experience of making and the broader cultural effects of craft, staging works in ways that encouraged reflection and initiated dialogues.

The centre’s former altar and stained-glass windows became a focal point for two key artworks that explored the interplay of light, craft, and spirituality. The use of the former altar as a display space contributed to creating a “devotional space”, which had an ambience whereby the visitor could review the nature of the once sacred space. In the Middle Ages, coloured glass and precious stones in ecclesiastical spaces created a visual spectacle that encouraged a sense of transcendence.

Bull’s woven cloths, inspired by the stained-glass windows of Salisbury Cathedral, were delicate, translucent pieces suspended above the former altar, interacting with the natural light that streamed through the church’s windows. This placement invited a visual dialogue between the past and present, symbolising the transfer of creative energy from medieval master-makers to contemporary artists. Bull’s work illustrated the curatorial decision to use this space to underline its historical significance while highlighting the ongoing evolution of craft.

Complementing Bull’s textiles, Jacobs’ Ensō photography series, part of her PhD research in textile thinking, was displayed along the walls beneath the stained-glass windows. Jacobs’ photographs captured the ephemeral patterns of light refracted through dichroic film. Placing these works beneath the stained glass allowed visitors to observe the transformative properties of light, drawing parallels between spiritual enlightenment and creative expression. This juxtaposition turned the former altar into a contemplative space where visitors could engage with the interplay of craft, spirituality, and time.

The transformative use of the former church space extended beyond visual elements, incorporating sound as an essential component. Composers Dr Harry Whalley and Akira Brown created Plangency, a musical piece aimed to capture the essence of Salisbury Cathedral.

PLANGENCY board for the exhibition

Whalley, reflecting on the process of composing Plangency, highlighted the significance of the cathedral’s history of craftsmanship, stating: “The amazing history of Salisbury Cathedral includes makers from so many disciplines, textiles, metal, wood, glass and of course stone. Together, they have created a living monument that stands still and quiet. Yet, it is never really silent”. He further emphasised that the building itself, shaped by the hands of countless makers over centuries, embodies the sounds of their labour, the echoes of their tools resonating within its very structure. Plangency, through its innovative use of technology, sound manipulation, and creative interpretation made these hidden sonic layers audible, revealing the invisible symphony of the Cathedral’s making.

During the exhibition’s opening event, cellist Anna Menzies performed Plangency, creating a multi-layered auditory experience that blurred the lines between the sacred soundscape of the cathedral, its craft, and the secular environment of the arts centre. The music enhanced the audience’s experience, drawing them into a world of sound that resonated with the history of the cathedral, the skill sharing from master to apprentice, and the passage of time. Visitors could engage with the music composition via a QR code linking to segments of Plangency, allowing them to explore the craft works while immersing themselves in the auditory experience. This integration of sound, light, symbolism and craft transformed the former church into a site of creative expression showcasing the continuity of craft traditions while inviting new interpretations.

By transforming the former altar into a space of light, sound, and spiritual resonance, the exhibition underscored the enduring power of sacred spaces to evoke reflection and connection across time. This convergence of media offered visitors a fresh perspective on the legacy of craftsmanship, illustrating that sacred and secular practices can coexist and inspire one another.

The interplay of visual and auditory elements within Makers’ Tale emphasised the importance of performativity in craft. By applying mise-en-scène the exhibition set the stage for craft to be not merely seen but experienced.

The curatorial consideration of light, sound, and space invited visitors to perceive the former altar and the church not as a static relic of the past but as a vibrant space imbued with creative energy. The exhibition celebrated the continuity of craft knowledge, demonstrating how traditional practices can persist and evolve, crossing boundaries and discovering new expressions in a contemporary context.

Makers’ Tale was not solely an exhibition of craft. It was a performative exploration of how contemporary craft engages with historical contexts and spiritual themes. Through the lens of mise-en-scène as a curatorial methodology, the exhibition transformed the former sacred space of Salisbury Arts Centre into a dynamic environment where traditional and modern crafts converge, creating a sensory dialogue across time. This approach highlighted the ongoing relevance of craft practices, showcasing their capacity to inspire and activate new forms of creative expression, even within a secular setting. Through the integration of visual, auditory, and spatial elements, Makers’ Tale underscored the enduring significance of craftsmanship, skill-sharing, and creative collaboration in the twenty-first century.

References

Adamson, G. (2018) The Invention of Craft; Bloomsbery Visual Arts

Makers’ Tale, (2021) at Salisbury Arts Centre, Wiltshire Creative, UK curator Dr Loucia Manopoulou, co-curator by Mirka Golden-Hann

Millar, L. (2011). Lost in Lace: The Exhibition. [Exhibition catalogue]. Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery

Millar, L. and Kettle A. (2018). Erotic Cloth: Seduction and Fetishism in Textiles. Bloomsbury Academic

Olding, S. (2020) ‘Foreword’ In Makers’ Tale [Exhibition Catalogue] Salisbury: Salisbury Arts Centre pp. 7-8 [online]

Whalley, H. (2021) Composer of Contemporary Classical Music, in person at Lion and Lamb Yard Farnham, 12 October 2021

About Loucia Manopoulou

Dr Loucia Manopoulou is a curatorial researcher and cultural strategist working across craft, design, and contemporary art. Based in Farnham, Surrey, she currently serves as a curator at the University for the Creative Arts (UCA), overseeing the Surrey campus galleries, and is also a Trustee at 318 Ceramics, Farnham. With over 20 years of experience, Manopoulou has led projects in the UK and Greece, spanning commercial galleries, museums, and the Athens 2004 Olympic Games. Her research on curatorial practices has been presented at national and international conferences, focusing on curatorial practice as a mode of research, with special emphasis on contemporary British crafts, performance, and performativity. Manopoulou holds a PhD in Curatorial and British Crafts (2022) from University Arts London, supported by a scholarship from the University for the Creative Arts, an MRes in Crafts (Distinction) (2017) from UCA, Farnham, and an MA in Design Management (1999) from the Surrey Institute of Art and Design University College. Visit www.uca.ac.uk/about-us/our-staff/loucia-manopoulou/ and research.uca.ac.uk/view/creators/Manopoulou=3ALoucia=3A=3A.html

Tags

England | exhibition | G37 | glass | temple