Visitors to Canterbury Cathedral were shocked this week to find its walls and pillars covered in graffiti, leaving the interior of the ancient building looking like what one described as “an underground car park in Peckham”.
Just days after the Right Rev Sarah Mullally was revealed as the next Archbishop of Canterbury within the cathedral, its walls now appear to be daubed with spray-painted writing.
The brightly coloured graffiti-style images are actually part of an art installation that has, by the cathedral’s own admission, “divided public opinion”.
The graffiti stencils will be removed before the Right Rev Sarah Mullally’s enthronement ceremony
Prominent on pillars, walls and staircases, the graffiti looks like it has been spray-painted in typical street fashion, mimicking different styles such as scribbled “tags”, rounded “throw-up” lettering, and more complex “wildstyle” designs.
They have in fact been “expertly and sensitively” applied as stick-on graphics around the interior of the cathedral and carry questions that people have asked God during moments of doubt or curiosity.
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These include questions such as “Are you there?”, “Where does love come from?”, “God, what happens when we die?” and “Why did you create hate when love is by far more powerful?”
Cathedral bosses took the unusual step of proactively sharing some of the criticism of its art installation, noting that one visitor had told them: “I think it’s sacrilegious.”
The installation formally opens on October 17
They said: “[It] has split public opinion ahead of its official launch, with visitors reporting visceral reactions to the bold graffiti-style graphics and thought-provoking questions displayed on the ancient walls. While many have reported their delight and intrigue, others have been discomforted by encountering the artworks.”
They pointed to the fact that the cathedral was no stranger to graffiti, noting that it is already home to a host of images, crosses, initials and words scratched into its pillars and walls as long ago as 1667.
They noted that there is a “great variety of historical graffiti within the cathedral, including masons’ marks, religious graffiti in the form of crosses and Christograms, and marks made throughout the centuries by pilgrims and other visitors”.
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Conceived by Alex Vellis, a poet, and Jacquiline Creswell, a curator, the Hear Us installation was inspired by community workshops in which people responded to the question: “What would you ask God?”
“There is a rawness which is magnified by the graffiti style which is disruptive,” said the Very Rev David Monteith, Dean of Canterbury, recognising the project’s potential to divide opinion.
“There is also an authenticity in what is said because it is unfiltered and not tidied up or sanitised. Above all, this graffiti makes me wonder why I am not always able to be as candid, not least in my prayers. This exhibition intentionally builds bridges between cultures, styles and genres and in particular allows us to receive the gifts of younger people who have much to say and from whom we need to hear much.”
The installation formally opens on October 17 and will remain in place until January 18, which means it will be removed before Mullally’s enthronement ceremony to install her as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury.