Still Point 2004 - 2007

A Work of Art by Susanna Heron at The Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King, Liverpool

In 2003 I was selected to make a permanent work of art adjacent to The Metropolitan Cathedral in Liverpool and provided with the opportunity to address a major place of religion and a significant 20th century architectural icon. The requirement of the Brief was for a work of Public Art which acknowledged the dignity and sanctity of the site and was something which would speak to all people.

I chose a location within the newly landscaped garden in the lea of the Cathedral near the main entrance. The site enabled a range of views, both from above and via a descending processional path used for weddings, funerals, christenings and as an alternative route for visitors to the Cathedral. Like a pool of water, the work is sited at the lowest level of the garden.

The surprising and innovative design of The Metropolitan Cathedral in Liverpool was created by Sir Frederick Gibberd and completed in 1967. It emanates a quiet grandeur and lightness of touch slowly emerging amongst the rooftops as you climb Mount Pleasant and rests on the crest.

The Work

Still Point is a meditative spatial work incorporated into the Cathedral grounds. It has three associated parts. A stone element, a poem and a song.

The circular stone platform, some 17 metres in diameter, is equivalent to the dimensions of the circular Sanctuary at the centre of the Cathedral. It creates an exterior meditative place of sanctuary for visitors to the Cathedral. Constructed from large blocks of hammered grey and smooth black Indian granite, the flat surface is cut to an organic circular drawing which originated as a small charcoal drawing on paper taking the centre as its meditative focus.

Momentary reflections of the Cathedral, the trees and the sky are drawn into the work and form an integral part of it. This response to the weather and the changing ambulatory viewpoint of the visitor place the work in the moment.

In 1979 I wrote a short poem which has been incorporated into Still Point. It has been engraved by letter cutter Nicholas Sloan in a small slate plaque sited on an adjacent wall to provide a meditation

Between -
body and mind
mind and spirit
memory and ghost
past and future
eye and seeing
seeing and understanding

I commissioned composer Max Richter to write a 3 minute choral work for Still Point, using the words of the poem and responding to the resonance of the Cathedral. It was sung by the Cathedral Choir in the Cathedral at the Inauguration of Still Point on 27th April 2007.

This project is funded by:

The European Union European Regional Development Fund, Liverpool Culture Company, Northwest Regional Development Agency, Arts Council England and Private Donations