Experience Luxmuralis’ ‘son et lumiere’
A sound and light installation at Exeter Cathedral will offer visitors a new way to experience the building’s stunning architecture, writes Philippa Davies.
The artistic collaboration Luxmuralis returns to the cathedral on Tuesday, January 7. Its latest show, Time, uses lights, soundscapes and projection installations to portray humans through different eras, exploring the theories of relativity and the text of HG Wells’ classic story The Time Machine.
Luxmuralis is an artistic collaboration between sculptor Peter Walker and composer David Harper, leading creators of immersive fine art.
Their light and sound installations aim to transform the interiors of sacred buildings, heritage sites and other venues around the world.
Exeter Cathedral will be only the second venue to host the show, following its debut at Salisbury Cathedral in November. The installation runs until Saturday, January 11. Image: Luxmuralis.
‘Exeter Cathedral is one of the country’s most beautiful places, and returning to the cathedral and creating our fifth installation here is a great privilege,’ says Peter Walker, Artistic Director of Luxmuralis.
‘We create fine art on an epic scale, and spend a great deal of time reworking our installations to fit within the remarkable spaces.
“What is fantastic in Exeter is that our Luxmuralis installations have become a great tradition for people, many returning year after year to experience how we bathe the architecture in light and sound.
Transporting visitors ‘back through time’
‘And this year, with Time, they will experience something unique as we transport visitors back through time to the very beginning of everything through contemporary art, light and sound.’
It’s the fifth Luxmuralis installation to be shown at Exeter Cathedral, following the collaboration’s previous sound and light shows, Space, Life, Renaissance and Crown & Coronation. The events have all attracted thousands of new visitors into the cathedral.
‘Here at Exeter Cathedral, we are especially excited by this year’s sound and light show, which will provoke our imaginations to meld together science and history, as we explore this complex thing we call ‘time,’’ says The Dean of Exeter, the Very Reverend Jonathan Greener.
‘And for the first time, not only will it explore the magnificent architecture of the cathedral’s nave, but also shine a light on our 13th-century Chapter House and brand-new Friends’ Cloister Gallery.’
Tickets are priced at £8 for adults and £4 for children aged four to 16. A family ticket (two adults and two children under 18) is £20.
