I said ‘yes’, then went away and thought about it.

Leaping out of your comfort zone can be difficult but the rewards usually outweigh the fears. I was lucky enough to be asked to take part in an exhibition in Winchester. The exhibition was to take place during the second half of Lent and to finish after the Easter celebrations. The brief was to make work inspired by Malcolm Guite’s sonnets on The Stations of the Cross. I don’t often read poetry: there was the first challenge. I was struck by the materiality running through the sonnet I chose, “Jesus is given his Cross”. This was my starting point.

Light floods through a stained glass window, throwing pastels shades onto flints, thorny sticks and paper string netting — St Paul’s, Winchester Installation, image 1

An art installation focused on a torn net of paper string on whcih sit flints and twigs with gilded thorns — St Paul’s Winchester Installation, image 2

My piece was displayed on a deep windowsill on two levels below a stained glass window which added a colour element to the work whenever the sun shone.

The first element I chose was a net made of paper string to represent the universality of our travels through life. More binds us together than divides us. I added flints, as a reference to the stony path of life. On a cold February walk I found that the blackthorn hedgerows had been machine trimmed and the cuttings became part of the work. The flayed and torn ends illustrated suffering and pain. Once the twigs had dried, I gilded some of the thorns to signify hope. We must hold on to Hope, as best we can.

The experience was positive and energising. It was a great pleasure to be part of a team with many recent graduates, a lovely reminder of how much I enjoyed that time spent at university, swept along by the energy and enthusiasm of younger students.

Thanks must go to Amanda Berridge for masterminding the project and for inviting me. Details of the exhibition ‘This Darker Path’ can be found here on Instagram.