Hexham Abbey – February – November 2024
At Hexham Abbey, they seem to like hanging things from their ceiling. Stars for Eternity is the third installation to hang in a year. The installation was created as part of the abbey’s 1,350th anniversary year alongside other events over the coming weeks.
There are approximately 4,000 stars which have been created by local people of paper origami. They all contain a dedication or prayer to someone special within the community. The stars are suspended up in the clerestory of the abbey church and will remain so until the autumn.
The whole concept of the artwork is presence, the dedications and the memories are intended to be present, but are placed high enough that they are not able to be read by anyone in the church. Their presence fills the church with well wishes and prayers whether anyone is present or not.
As a piece of collaborative art, this is nice and small and its look does not detract from the grandeur of the abbey, but instead enhances it by moving the ceiling closer to the ground… sort of like moving the earth closer to heaven in a way.
Aisling on Art 