Exeter Cathedral says there's hope

Let there be light

Exeter Cathedral will illuminate the night sky with beams of light as a symbol of hope for all those around them, as part of a nationwide art installation for All Saints Day. 
 
It's joining cathedrals at Chelmsford, Ely, Lichfield, Liverpool and Salisbury, by projecting beams of light starting at 6pm on Sunday, which is All Saints' Day, an important day in the Christian calendar which has particular relevance this year in the wake of the pandemic.
 
The Light of Hope 2020 project is the brainchild of Peter Walker, artist in residence at Lichfield Cathedral and creator of the recent ‘The Leaves of the Trees’ installation at Exeter Cathedral. Initially created for Lichfield Cathedral in 2018 and 2019, the installation is now being repeated in churches and cathedrals across the country, offering a collective moment for local communities.  
 
Mr Walker hopes that each year more cathedrals and churches will join in the initiative. “Light of Hope is an opportunity for a moment of togetherness; even though we can’t all be to-gether right now. It offers us the opportunity to collectively remember those who have helped and given so much during this past year, as well as commemorating those we have lost, and thinking of those we hold dear.” 

The installation has been warmly welcomed by Exeter Cathedral as a fitting symbol for the com-munities of Devon on All Saints Day, as The Very Revd Jonathan Greener, Dean of Exeter, explains: “The lights are profoundly symbolic at this time. On All Saints Day we remember saints who, throughout the last two millennia, have been a beacon of light to others, and this invites us to consider how we might be a light in our world today. We pray that Light of Hope provides a focal point for the people of Devon to reflect together from a safe distance.”

The Light of Hope project is supported by The Arts Council England and includes an arts en-gagement project for schoolchildren to join in and create their own “light of hope” artwork.
 
See Exeter Cathedral light up as a beacon of hope from 6pm until 8pm on Sunday 1 November.