Hussey Memorial Commission

Update 15th February 2012: Hussey Commission Public Meeting, Monday 19 March at 6.30pm

The Cathedrals Fabric Commission for England (CFCE) has refused permission for Chapter to commission Jaume Plensa to create his sculpture Together.  Following this, the Cathedral's independent Fabric Advisory Committee (FAC) has met and written a letter of advice to Chapter.

Chapter has promised to consult the congregation, and has therefore decided to call a congregational meeting - this meeting is open to all and will be held after Evensong in the Nave.  The FAC's advice to Chapter will be explained at this meeting, together with  the process that has been followed (including the CFCE's reason for refusal) and the possible courses of action open to Chapter.  There will be time for questions and comments to add to those already received since news of the decision was published.  All are welcome and if you plan to come, please consider reading Chapter's 55 page application to the CFCE, which is available by clicking here (please note this is a large document and may take a few moments to load). This document is also available at the Information Desk in the Cathedral and the Cathedral Reception located in the Cathedral Cloisters.

Update 9th February 2012: The Cathedrals Fabric Commission for England has refused permission to commission Jaume Plensa's Together for installation in Chichester Cathedral.  In response to this news, the Dean and Chapter of the Cathedral have issued a short statement:

'Chapter was disappointed to learn that the Cathedrals Fabric Commission for England (CFCE) has refused permission to commission Jaume Plensa's Together for installation in the Cathedral.  Chapter has sought advice from its Fabric Advisory Committee, and on the basis of that advice is now deciding what action it may wish to take.'

[Each Cathedral has a Fabric Advisory Committee, independent of the Chapter.  From the outset of this project Chapter has relied on the advice of its FAC and the Cathedral Surveyor.]
  

Please click on the white arrow to view TV coverage of the commission and scroll down for further information about the project.

Arundel Screen

Announcement of Selected Artist:

Together, by Jaume Plensa

The Chapter of Chichester Cathedral is delighted to announce that a sculpture, Together, by the artist Jaume Plensa has been selected for the highly prestigious Hussey Memorial Commission.  The new sculpture will be suspended in the central aerial space within the Cathedral.  The form of the sculpture is the hand of the resurrected Christ, raised in the sign of blessing.  A 'cloud' of letters form the hand, maintaining transparency and enabling the viewer to see directly through the sculpture.  The letters composing the hand are derived from eight alphabets: Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Cyrillic, Arabic, Hindi, Japanese, and Chinese.

Chichester Cathedral has an international reputation as a bold patron of contemporary art within an ancient setting; this artwork will revitalise that tradition.  The commission was launched in 2009, and was timed to mark the centenary of Walter Hussey (1909 - 1985) who was Dean of Chichester from 1955 to 1977.  Referred to by the art historian Kenneth Clark as 'the last great patron of the art in the Church of England', Hussey commissioned many of the 20th century artworks for which the Cathedral is now famous, including a stained glass window by Marc Chagall and a high altar tapestry by John Piper.  In addition to regular worshippers, some 200,000 people visit the Cathedral each year and are able to see these and other works free of charge.  Funding for the commission will be sought from private trusts and donors.  An exhibition explaining the commission, and showing images of Plensa's proposal, is currently on display in the Cathedral.  Entry is free and all are welcome.

Click here for full details of the commission

Click here to follow previous entries on this website about this project

Click here to visit Jaume Plensa's website

Click here to see some images showing what the Together sculpture would look like, once installed in the Cathedral Nave.