The English Cathedral

About

The Wapping Project Bankside is delighted to announce an exhibition of Peter Marlow's complete series The English Cathedral this summer. It is the first time that prints of all the 42 cathedrals will be presented to the public together, since the monograph — now a bestseller, was published by Merrell in 2012. In 2008, on the occasion of the 300th anniversary of the completion of St Paul's Cathedral, Peter Marlow was commissioned by Royal Mail to shoot six cathedrals (Litchfield, Belfast, Gloucester, St David's, Westminster, St Magnus in Orkney). The resulting photographs were issued as a set of 6 commemorative stamps and a miniature sheet. Once the commission was complete however, Marlow was inspired to continue in a similar vein, out of his own interest and in the following four years, he shot the 42 cathedrals of the Church of England. Most cathedrals were therefore shot from the same position: looking East towards the altar as dawn broke through the main window, with all artificial lighting turned off. The viewpoint adds depth to the visual experience of the building, while the discipline of this strict approach allows the power of the place to unfold in the dark. Each cathedral was shot on large format film, bringing into sharp relief the splendour of the architecture, whatever the style.