‘Shadows of the Wanderer’ in Chichester Cathedral
This is a truly wonderful and thought provoking exhibition by the artist Ana Maria Pacheco, which is currently on display in the North Transept of Chichester Cathedral in West Sussex, and runs until the 14th November.
There are ten figures all wearing dark robes, each one carved from a single lime tree, with eyes made of onyx. The two central figures, again carved from a single piece of wood, depict a man carrying an elderly person. Based on Virgil’s Aeneid from 29BC, Aeneas carries his lame father on his back to escape the burning ruins of Troy. The other figures in the shadows have very differing expressions and postures, which provoke a wide range of emotions in the viewer. As you take in the scene it is impossible to escape the synergy with todays issues of migration and people fleeing from their homes in a stricken country, all seeking refuge in another place.
I rarely photograph art installations or exhibitions, as they can turn out to be nothing more than record shots. However I felt this was different, as the sculptures gave themselves to a form of portraiture, which also allowed me to make a set of images which I hope does justice to the artist’s work.
I was very fortunate to find myself in the Cathedral at a time when a single shaft of light from a high window moved through the ‘shadows’ to illuminate just one figure in the scene, almost as if the light of God was showing them the way.
For further information and to read more about ‘Shadows of the Wanderer’ please click here.
Do click on any of the images to view a larger version which will open in a new window.
alan frost photography 
18 Responses to “‘Shadows of the Wanderer’ in Chichester Cathedral”
Great captures and what a fantastic installation. The expressions are very powerful indeed.
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Thanks Haylee. It’s an awe inspiring installation. If it ever comes to your area do go and see it.
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I’m sure I will. I’ve developed quite an appreciation for sculptures over the last few years.
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What emotive sculptures and well captured
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Thanks Diana. Do make a visit if you can – well worthwhile.
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Yes have already mentioned it to some of the U3A
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Wonderful pieces of sculpture and with that shaft of light, you’ve captured them very well.
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Thanks Vicki. The shaft of light just added another element to some of the compositions.
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Nice find and great images. Wish I could be there.
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Cheers Max. The exhibition is on until mid Nov if you are coming this way again.
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I was thinking of going to visit Chichester Cathedral in the near future but now I am not sure. Great photographs but a bit scary.
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It’s a beautiful cathedral and city, so don’t let my ‘scary’ images put you off!
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A superb gallery, Alan. I also occasionally record installations but like you I view that as a challenge to produce an image that really does the installation justice in a creative way. I must make a note to visit Chichester in the coming months.
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Thanks Andy. Do make a visit if you can and if you do, I would like to see your take on the installation.
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If I do capture some images, I will post something. I guess it won’t be until September at the earliest
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Hi Alan, Love the post-processing, as you say you were lucky with a single shaft of light. Another of my clients took them when they were at Norwich Cathedral but did not your luck in separating the figures from the background. Andy
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Thanks Andy. As you say I was fortunate with the light, but it did mean having to wait as it passed from one figure to another. Alan
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[…] ^^ Art installation at Chichester Cathedral speaks to the refugee experience: Shadows of the Wanderer by Brazilian-born artist Ana Maria Pacheco is on display in the north transept of Chichester Cathedral through November 14. A multipiece figurative sculpture in polychromed wood, it has as its centerpiece a young man carrying an elderly man on his back—a reference to the Aeneid’s Aeneas carrying his lame father out of the ruins of Troy. The cathedral has organized events around the installation, including a lecture by Christopher Wintle on the representation of suffering in Pacheco’s art (audio here, transcript here); a series of workshops for schools and colleges exploring the refugee experience, developed in partnership with Amnesty International; a debate titled “Refugees: Problem or Gift?”; an interview with the artist; and a woodcarving workshop. The photo below is an installation view from 2010 inside Norwich Cathedral; to see photos of the work in its current location at Chichester, click here. […]
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