Cathedral light show keeps audiences coming back

REVIEW: 'The Storytellers' by Luxmuralis

Robin Hood, Sherlock Holmes and Alice in Wonderland are some of the stars visiting Exeter Cathedral, thanks to creative company Luxmuralis. Titled ‘The Storytellers’, it’s the sixth sound and light show hosted there, and it’s clear why audiences keep coming back.

Displaying classics of world literature, this celebration of storytelling feels especially well-suited to the centuries of history contained within the cathedral walls. Projections of beloved characters and coloured patterns plaster the nave and quire, extending into the newly renovated east end and Friend’s Cloister Gallery. The inside of the Cathedral is transformed into a kaleidoscope of swirling lights.

Enveloped by music and ambience, it’s hard not to be immersed in the authors’ imaginations, as genres, ranging from fantasy to romance to sci-fi, are explored. From H.G. Wells’ ‘Time Machine’ to J.K. Rowlings’ ‘Harry Potter’, you can spot many of your favourites displayed on the walls.

Exeter Cathedral provides a magnificent canvas for the artwork, the curvature of the architecture adding to the dynamism of the piece. Patterns and quotations, such as famous openings to stories, spiral over the soaring sandstone. Columns become forests and the walls transform into rows upon rows of books.

Visitors can wander at their own pace, while gentle excerpts of narration guide them through the passageways. As a popular experience, it attracts a steady stream of people, meaning it is slightly harder to move between projections. However, if you can ignore the occasional crying child, it can still be a meditative experience.

The show is accessible to all, drawing a wide range of people, including families and those who are non-religious. The nature of the stories mean that the light show is not exclusively a religious experience and can therefore be enjoyed by everyone. You may not find God, but you will be enlightened.

‘The Storytellers’ is an artistic collaboration between sculptor Peter Walker and composer David Harper that honours the old-as-time tradition of telling stories in the unexpected setting of a cathedral. Having already been shown at the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey and Bodleian Library, it is now at Exeter’s most iconic setting.

Whether this is your first visit, or your sixth, Luxmuralis’ new re-imagining is worth coming back for.