As part of the Canterbury Festival next autumn, St. Peter’s Church in Oare, near Faversham, will offer a unique exhibit, an installation comprised mainly of icons in the contemporary Byzantine tradition. Although the work on display will have its roots in ancient times, this installation owes its existence to our digital age. An ‘icon screen’ has been installed across the breadth of medieval St. Peter’s to approximate an ‘iconostasis’ found in an Orthodox church. This iconostasis separates the sanctuary from the nave, thereby representing the place where heaven and earth meet. An iconostasis must contain certain important icons arranged in a particular, significant order. The exhibit brings together many international iconographers who were asked to contribute particular icons of their choice.
The diversity in contributors would have been almost impossible were it not for modern communication. Icons placed on the upper tier of the screen were a challenge because they have to form a coherent whole within the desired diversity. Former students of the Prosopon School, many of them now masters in their own right, were asked to do icons for this tier: Elena Antonova works in Moscow, Irini Bradley here in England, and Irene Perez Omer is a Venezuelan artist working in Texas. With some central coordination, they were able to exchange images and unifying ideas by e-mail. The central icon of the Deesis (prayer) row of the screen is the work of Sergei Taracyan, an artist who lives in a remote skete five hours by road from Moscow. He was unreachable by electronic means, but messages were left for him with one of his students in Moscow. Other participants are Marek Czarnecki, a Polish-American icon-maker who works in a Russian style, and Sylvia Dimitrova, born in Bulgaria. She was formerly an artist-in-residence at Wells Cathedral and short listed for a European Women of Achievement Award for her contribution to the arts. They join Dr. Stephane Rene, perhaps the leading exponent of Neo-Coptic iconography in the world today, Aidan Hart, whose frescoes are to been seen in HRH Prince Charles’s chapel in Highgrove, Ian Knowles, a notable iconographer currently doing restoration in Jerusalem, Eva Vlavianos, a Greek restorer living in Paris, and Dr Guillem Ramos-Poqui from Barcelona who should need no introduction, his book being the first of it’s kind in Great Britain on icon-writing technique. It is also hoped that Sister Petra Clare of Scotland, whose latest work may be viewed at the Shrine of St Jude’s, Faversham, and Sister Esther Pollock, the founder of the British Association of iconographers, will also show work. Artists closer to St. Peters, Oare are also well represented. They include Peter Murphy of Broadstairs, whose works can be seen in Hereford Cathedral and Tewksbury Abbey, Amanda de Pulford, of Faversham, who is the writer of the Dedication Icon of St German at Peel Cathedral, Isle of Man, and Pia Carnell, now a resident of Rochester, who was introduced to iconography by her mother in Finland. Visitors will be able to view the stages of icon production and their theological meaning by watching a film of Vladislav Andreyev, the founder of the Prosopon School.
The exhibit attempts to create a contemplative space with music and candlelight. St. Peter’s is located on Church Road, Oare and overlooks Oare Creek. A visit might well be part of a day out to the historic Oare Gunpowder Works, the Oare Marches Nature Reserve, and the two artists houses participating in the Artist Open House Trail. The Three Mariners at the corner of Church Road enjoys the endorsement of the Good Food Guide. During the period of the show several events will be presented in the evenings. Orthodox Vespers, Gregorian Chants, an evening of Violin and Poetry celebrating the life and work of Philip Sherrard, and on 28 October, Sir Richard Temple, the world’s foremost dealer in icons, will give a lecture with slides called ‘Icon: Tradition and Symbolism’. For more details please visit www.faversham.org and www.annwelch.co.uk
Art often reflects the spirit within the age in which it was created. This exhibit not only reflects the spirit of real cooperation, but also embodies the spirit of ecumenical purpose. It stands as an achievement in these respects at a time that the exhibitors hope will mark the passing of an era of divisiveness and greed.
