Danny Lane’s iconic glass Stairway goes head to head with the famous spire of Salisbury Cathedral in a virtual version of the Cathedral’s largest art exhibition for nearly two decades.
Curated by Jacquiline Creswell, the now virtual exhibition launched eight centuries to the day after the first foundation stones of this magnificent building were laid and just over a month after the real-life launch was halted by the COVID-19 lockdown.
Stairway is among works by some of the most important and influential contemporary artists of the 20th and 21st century sited in and around the Cathedral and now brought together in an interactive, virtual tour with 360-degree filming and online catalogue. Represented are Henry Moore, Tony Cragg, Elisabeth Frink, Antony Gormley, Shirazeh Houshiary, Lynn Chadwick, Mark Wallinger, Conrad Shawcross, and Grayson Perry among other artists.
Made in 2007, a six-meter-tall sculpture of glass and steel, metaphorically leading to the sky, Stairway has been one of the landmark works of Cass Sculpture Foundation at Goodwood. Now, online viewers will see it beautifully sited next to the Cathedral, giving the impression that one could ascend to reach the top of the Cathedral’s 55-metre 14th century spire, the tallest in the UK.The two forms made almost seven centuries apart, both represent extraordinary achievements of vision and soaring creativity.
“It is an ironic and aspirational work that implies a longing towards an unknown destiny. Here, in Salisbury, the Stairway has a humble relationship of human scale to the grand Cathedral and its spire, emphasising the sculpture’s meaning.The sculpture is about you, the viewer and your imagination.You as a participant complete the work.
The poetic engineering of contemporary materials (post-tensioned industrial glass and steel) rhyme with the structural adventures of the medieval architects and masons who completed this magnificent cathedral in only 35 years. It’s an honour to be in their presence.” – Danny Lane
Links:
Click here to view the virtual exhibition
Click here to read more about the full exhibition
News courtesy of Danny Lane
