Peter Marlow: The English Cathedral

About

Peter’s remarkable photographs in the exhibition bring into sharp relief the full splendour of the interiors of some of England’s most magnificent buildings, great symbols of spiritual and architectural power, using only natural light to capture the interiors of these iconic buildings and present them as they would have originally been viewed when they were initially built.

The free exhibition is organised by the Peter Marlow Foundation, the charity set up to continue Peter’s legacy, primarily through photographic educational workshops. The aim is that this ethereal collection of images, will exhibit at each of the 42 cathedrals Peter visited on his photographic pilgrimage across England.

Peter visited St Edmundsbury Cathedral in Suffolk in 2010 to capture an image of the Nave bathed in natural light. His resultant portrait of the Cathedral makes the striking painted hammerbeam roof a focal point. Originally a flat, dark oak roof dating from Tudor times, Victorian congregations were keen for a more ornate decorative replacement. Following extensive restoration work in the late 19th Century by the prolific English Gothic Revival architect, Sir George Gilbert Scott the hammerbeam roof was installed. In 1982 it was painted by 20th Century church architect, Stephen Dykes Bower as part of his renovation work of the Cathedral. The roof is a colourful focal point to St Edmundsbury Cathedral and clearly portrayed in Peter’s photograph.

“When immersed in Peter’s photographs we are metaphorically in some kind of contemplative enclosure, if not a sanctuary: one that confronts us with our own sense of being. The forms captured here are simultaneously concrete and abstract: containers of history, light and, above all, space. Despite of, and in parallel with, the undeniable structure of the architectural edifice, Peter captures the intangible essence of all form that is generated by creative force: the enduring mystery of space within space.” Martin Barnes ‘The English Cathedral'

Peter’s work on “the English Cathedrals’ series started in 2008, when he was commissioned by Royal Mail on the 300th year anniversary of the completion of St Paul’s Cathedral to photograph six cathedrals from across the UK. These were issued as commemorative stamps. So taken was he by these initial magnificent interiors that he set out to photograph all 42, guided over the next three years.
So taken by these initial magnificent interiors that he set out to photograph all 42 English Anglican Cathedrals, guided over the next three years by a copy of English Cathedrals (1989) by Edwin Smith and Olive Cook and a pack of ‘Anglican Cathedrals of England’ Top Trumps Cards.

After much experimentation, Peter developed the perfect strategy to document these huge interior spaces and to highlight the many varied architectural nuances between the buildings. Shooting on large format film using only natural light, Peter set up in the same position at all but one of the cathedrals - looking east towards the nave and altar as the dawn light streamed through the main window. By ensuring all artificial lighting was turned off, a rarity in many of these buildings whose lights remain on constantly, Peter captured the cathedrals emerging from the darkness as if suspended in time and removed from the modern age. This end result can be regarded as a contemporary update to the long tradition of church photography in England, namely Frederik Evans’ late 19th century imagery and Edwin Smith’s mid-20th century work.

As part of the touring exhibition, Peter Marlow: The English Cathedral, the Peter Marlow Foundation has sought to take the visitor’s experience one step further by placing them in the role of photographer. Visitors will be able to stand in the same spot where Peter positioned himself (and his ladder) and are invited to take and share their own photographic ‘portrait’ of the Cathedral’s magnificent interior.

When Peter photographed the 42 Anglican cathedrals for the series, he took extensive time and preparation prior to and during the process in capturing the final photograph displayed here in the exhibition. Part of this process was the use of Fujifilm FP 100 Instant film to test the view and the exposure of each shot. Having these instant images allowed for an immediate assessment of the composition as well as creating an additional accompanying set of photographs. In recognition of this process, Fujifilm has supplied Instax cameras and film at the exhibitions on the tour. The resultant versions will create an interactive ever-changing display which will be shared as part of the exhibition but also on the social media channels and websites of St Edmundsbury Cathedral, Peter Marlow Foundation and Magnum Photos, to create a contemporary public response to the works. From these publicly submitted instant photographs, the Peter Marlow Foundation will choose a winner who will be awarded an Estate Stamped Fine Print of a cathedral photograph of their choice.

The Very Revd Joe Hawes, Dean of St Edmundsbury, says of the exhibition,
“Peter Marlow described the process of his cathedral photography project as a ‘reflective pilgrimage’ and it’s an honour to welcome his photograph of St Edmundsbury, and the accompanying 41 images of our country’s cathedrals, back to the place it was taken. We encourage visitors to the exhibition to embody this reflective pilgrimage ethos and create their own vision of St Edmundsbury, both using the instax cameras provided, but also making their own images to keep.”