Art offers calm to stressed souls in credit-squeezed City

27/02/08

The new installation at Wallspace - the art venue in the City of London's All Hallows Church, London Wall - will help to quieten the jangled nerves of city workers in the wake of the credit crunch and rumours of impending job cuts.

Centre + Circumference, Jake Lever's exquisitely crafted triptych, constructed on an almost architectural scale, has been placed in this calm 18th century church to give stressed city workers an opportunity to slow their heart rates for a moment. Visitors will be able to take refuge from the driven atmosphere of London's financial district to find rest and refreshment, accompanied by the music of Sir John Tavener and Björk.

With Centre + Circumference, Wallspace – which has so far brought Damien Hirst, Sokari Douglas-Camp and Sam Taylor-Wood to the heart of the City – is launching a new strand of single installations aimed at providing space for contemplation at All Hallows on the Wall, a church whose recorded history goes back to 1120.

The work itself, influenced deeply by the icon tradition, is based around images of hands inspired by an ancient Native American sculpture. Key to the piece is the orientation of these hands. ‘They point in all directions – upwards, downwards, east and west,’ says artist Jake Lever. ‘I wanted to convey the idea that divine reality transcends our fixed categories and limited calculations, pointing deep into the silence.’

An important part of Centre + Circumference is the music of Sir John Tavener's Prayer of the Heart. This haunting piece was based around what is known as the Jesus Prayer, written for the ‘untamed’ voice of Björk, who sings in English, Coptic and Greek, accompanied by the Brodsky Quartet. Sir John expressed his admiration for the Jake Lever's installation, remarking that it evoked ‘a wonderful moving silence’.

The work is not designed to appeal only to those with specific religious beliefs. ‘Anyone is welcome in All Hallows – whether they consider themselves religious, spiritual or not,’ says Associate Vicar the Revd Malcolm Doney. ‘Centre + Circumference is the first in a series of installations designed to give visitors the chance to draw breath in their day, to bring their concerns and take a break for a few moments.’ All Hallows is a place where, for centuries, people have come to pray or just to be quiet. Human Resources managers might want to recommend that their fraught colleagues take a break with Centre + Circumference, which its creator believes will ‘heighten the quality of mystery, beauty and a sense of the holy’.

The exhibition is free and is open until 19 March.

Opening Times:
Tuesday – Friday 12–3pm

All other times by arrangement.
Meryl Doney 07794 586 203
www.wallspace.org.uk